


The Great Space Race

by AnalystProductions



Category: Death Note, Death Note & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Space, Gen, IN SPACE YESSSSS!!!!, Space AU, inspired by Mad Max Fury Road and some of my fav space films, so that's kind of what you should expect hopefully
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-05-29 18:04:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6386986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnalystProductions/pseuds/AnalystProductions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Light Yagami sees in stars. He breathes in galaxies. He writes in planets and sometimes he catches himself speaking in moons. For as long as he can remember, it’s always been this way. In the year 2341, aged 17, Light Yagami registers on the GSR docklands for The Great Space Race. </p><p>And it is here where our story truly begins.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The landing of the Crimson Apple

**Author's Note:**

> Meg was talking about a DN space AU and really once I saw her post I couldn't resist. Space is so cool, and I love death note. So I had to do it! Mostly fictional science and places in this universe. Hope you'll enjoy it.
> 
> Let's go!

Light Yagami sees in stars. He breathes in galaxies. He writes in planets and sometimes he catches himself speaking in moons. For as long as he can remember, it’s always been this way. Despite his parents’ silent prompting to shift his attention elsewhere, to more _localised_  things, the vast expanse of space around calls out to him.

The gravity of the planet he lives on is said to be 9.80457 m/s2. Just a  _tinsy fraction lighter_  than their ancestor’s planet “Earth”. But not far enough to distort the familiar support  _homo sapiens_ have evolved under for thousands and thousands of years. Yet the pull of the universe, the tug towards the stratosphere and beyond feels somehow stronger than all of these monumental forces.

When he was five, Light used to think if he jumped high enough off the swing in the garden that the universe would scoop him up into its arms and toss him out into the depths of space. He’d dance between the stars, soar through the nebulae and land on uncharted planets.

He jumped so many times; Einstein’s blasted  _Theory of Relativity_ never once failed. Light fell down, and down. Chained to the surface of this world.

He’s spent all seventeen years of his existence on Dolna. Dolna, the planet where trees grow backwards, the clouds make the most spectacular shapes in all the galaxy, and where there are three sunsets every single day.

Still, it’s not enough for Light. The novelty and beauty of the planet he lives on wears off. He skydreams, skydreams about the places those with enough wealth and stature get to visit (not that he  _isn’t_ well off, but spacetravel is extortionate). His mind wanders through the incredible places the textbooks they read in class mention. Places so far from  _do-nothing Dolna_.  

“Starlight, are you paying attention?” A stern voice calls from the front of the classroom. Tearing his gaze away from the window, Light nods absently at the teacher. Mr. Ranim is a short humanoid, pale blue skin and neatly trimmed silky hair. The  _quad ipsum,_ as far as Light is aware, originated from the planet Juhia, at least 12,450 kilometres from Dolna. Whilst terrans had colonised the majority of the western side of the New Milky Way, formerly known as NGC 4572, other species had flourished too. Terrans were in fact largely outnumbered in some places of the universe. 

“Yes, sir.”

 _No, sir._  From the corner of the room, a few of his peers snicker. It seems even after years of being in the same school, several people _still_ find his full name difficult to believe. His mother had thought it endearing, for reasons his father refuses her to ever disclose. Whatever the reason, it hadn’t been influential enough to name their second, and last, child in a similar fashion. Sayu Yagami, in comparison, was a far more conventional name.

“Please read to the class the next paragraph, Light.” Mr. Ranim requests, noting the reaction of some and using the abbreviation of his name instead.

“The Dolnan climate is typically warm, most of it has a desert-like terrain. Following the Terran’s concept of time, Dolanan days are shaped by the movements of the suns. In every twenty-five hour day, there are three sunsets. The first sun rises on the first hour and sets on the sixth, the second rises on the ninth and sets on the twelfth. The third rises shortly after the twelfth and sets on the twentieth. Dolnan’s tend to sleep from the seventeenth hour and rise with the first sun on the first hour. In the Rewna Era, Dolnan’s would spend between six and nine asleep, and in some parts of the planet it is common to close shops and business for these three hours…” he continues to recite fluidly, eyes scrolling heavily across the page.

Light Yagami is bored.

Here on Dolna, he feels his bones are crumbling to dust. His soul will wither away like a mirage against the horizon of the distant Farenheiten Desert. Nobody outside of Dolna, maybe even this  _town,_ will ever hear his name. The wind will sweep up the syllables and scatter them in a jumbled mess across the plains.  

He’s going to die here, and the most likely cause of death will be _boredom._

**☾**

The Shinigami Ryuk falls from the sky with his ship from seemingly nowhere one night whilst Light is stargazing. Stargazing is a private, secret habit of his. When his family have settled into sleep and he can be certain nobody will wake, Light climbs onto the roof just before the third sunset. He sits, knees pulled up to his chest and blanket draped over his shoulders. Undisturbed, true stillness. Not even the feathered Kanda (similar to what Terrans called birds) zing at this hour, and all the landcraft are recharging for the morning rush.

With his customised telescope - he’s one of Dolna’s best and brightest students, crafting the item hadn’t been all that difficult – Light drinks in as much detail of the surrounding universe as he can. Admittedly it’s not a lot. But Light theorises once he gets enough study points to enroll at the spacestation, he’ll be able to see  _everything._ Maybe even  _go out there._

Scribbling notes about what he sees against the map of the New Milky Way he’s borrowed, and conveniently never returned, is all he can do for now.  _Andrim’s Comet still in orbit around HD 2345. The Erana System is brighter tonight. There’s Juhia with its seven moons..._

The night  _The Crimson Apple_ falls from the sky, the starway is streaked with purples and vibrant oranges; the rings of the planet Oaie take up a whole third of the sky this time of year. Juhia and her seven moons are shimmering so marvellously, he almost misses it. Then when he sees it, he almost mistakes it for passing asteroid, darting through space at incredible speeds.

Only then Light notices that the curious comet in the sky seems to be emitting unnatural light. There are tinges of blue and green, and the angle of its trajectory is completely wrong. He refocuses the telescope, standing on the edge of the roof. Whatever it is, it’s falling onto Dolna. They get the occasional meteor showers here, but Light doesn’t remember the last time something _this big_ burst through the mesosphere on its own.

Setting the telescope down, he watches with his own eyes squinting a little. The object is immersed in flame as it seems to be picking up velocity on its descent. The radiance of the third sun almost erases the crash-path from the sky. But then there’s a whooshing sound, the unmistakable sound of a broken space-engine. It’s _close._ Really close.

As it soars a few miles above over his head, the trees tremble at the intruder and he loses balance. The telescope falls out his hands and hurtles towards the ground, splintering into tiny pieces. Built over years, destroyed in seconds. Light clings tightly onto the edge of the roof as he looks down at the ground with a frown. _Better it than me,_ he admits. Though really, the parts were expensive.

Hoisting himself back up, he follows the puff of smoke lining the sky above. There’s another whooshing sound in the distance, shrill to his ears. Wincing, he covers them. The rooftop gives him a good vantage point at least, he’s able to spot the outerspacecraft ahead. It’s approximately minute away from impact.

It lands a few miles from the town. The crash is completely underwhelming. From the movies he’s watched and famous crash landings documented in books, Light expects it to be bigger and more showy. But part of him is glad it’s not, because it means it’s finally _his_ chance to see an outerspacecraft for himself. Nobody else is likely to interfere. He’s only ever seen the standard craft Dolnans use, and they aren’t  _all that spectacular._

Light wastes no time. He tiptoes out the house, half-considering waking Sayu but deciding against it, grabs his bicycle and rides hastily towards the crashsite. Questions reel through his mind with every pedal.  _Who or_ _ **what**_ _was piloting the ship? Where did they come from? Where were they going?_

Pulling up to the site, Light cautiously walks forwards. The fact it’s an outerspacecraft could mean _anything_. They could be a space pirate, or a smuggler, or an escaped convict. Diving forwards without any thought may be dangerous. Tentatively, once he's close enough, he peels back the ship’s door.

Seconds later, a gangly, spikey shadow with jarring sharp features jumps out. The creature has golden eyes and black wings Light Yagami would trade just about  _anything_  for. It wouldn’t get you out of Dolna, sure, but flying unaided with wings like that would be a good start for _relieving boredom_. The creature is also definitely a Shinigami. Light recognises the telltale traits instantly: tall, skeletal foundations, gothic features. These creatures are no mystery, but they are scarcely seen - especially on Dolna. Shinigami dominate the majority of the neighbouring galaxy, MU,  _not_ the New Milky Way.

Light’s proud of himself for not jumping back dramatically and shrieking at the sight when the Shinigami turns to him. Not only would that be embarrassing, but pretty rude in this day and age. 

“Hey kid - name’s Ryuk,” The Shinigami says in a voice that reminds Light of a gargoyle from ancient Terran architecture. “You got any apples?”

Blinking in surprise at the words, Light glances behind at the ship now billowing with smoke. It’s in bad shape - not irreparable though. He’s heard in some galaxies ships can run on all sorts of fuel, some even use common food sources but...  _apples?_ The Shinigami bursts abruptly into a cackle, dark lips stretched even wider across their face. Light feels a little foolish for naivety he can’t help;  _do-nothing Dolna_  is pretty derelict. People don’t come, people don’t go. People just stay.

“Humans are  _so interesting!_ I had almost forgotten.” Pause. Ryuk leans in towards him, poking a thin long finger into his chest. “Hyuk Hyuk! Say, you’ve got a pretty good lifespan, kid!”

For a moment, Light is confused by the comment. Then he remembers from a class a few years ago, basic Galactic History, the Shinigami have evolved the curious ability to read the lifespans of certain humanoids. Ryuk prods again, craning over him, amused.

“Shame about the name, Starlight.”

Alongside being able to read a name.  

“ _Light._ My name, is _Light_.”

Narrowing his eyes, Light steps away to examine the ship properly. It’s shaped like an orb, with a glossy red paint finish on the exterior. An antenna pokes out from the top, with a small satellite attached the the side. The inside looks compact; pale yellow pilot and co-pilot seats, and a control panel with dials that are flashing at varied rhythms. It’s more of an oversized, fancy pod than a ship, he thinks to himself.

“ _The Crimson Apple_ ain’t just some measly pod, kid!”

Apparently, Light  _had_ actually voiced that part aloud.

“What are you even _doing_  in this part of the galaxy?” he changes the subject smoothly, detangling some meshed wires in the control panel and getting to work on some surface repairs. This was going to be quite a big job. But Light's always been skilled at electronics. In fact, he's skilled at most things. “Make a wrong turn at  _Erana_ or something?”

Of all places in the universe, Light finds it difficult to believe the Shinigami would _willingly_ choose to be here. Picking up the wrench, Light looks over the rusty panel. This whole ship, regardless of the fact it crashlanded, could do with a good clean. He wonders if  _all_ Shinigami are this messy.

“Heh,” Ryuk scratches the back of their head, hovering over Light as he works on some of the smaller repairs. “I actually was on my way to participate in  _The Great Space Race_.”

Light almost drops the wrench, freezing at the words.

“That’s... just a myth.” He casually responds, mind racing, body thrumming with restless intrigue.  He continues working, attempting to seem unfazed.

It’s not even a Dolnan _myth,_ it’s so much less than that. It’s a whisper. The kind of whisper you overhear when you’re a child and you’re not supposed to. But because you’re a child, you get told it’s nothing, and never think of it again. So you don’t think of it again. And that’s that.

 _The Great Space Race -_ the most dangerous race in the whole Universe, the  _only_ intergalactic race. Very little is known about it, so Light had built up a whole corner of his imagination for it. They pilots would fly through uncharted space, through wormholes for shortcuts and narrowly escape the clutches of deadly blackholes. They’d race through the legendary  _Paravishka Asteroid belt_  and then tail back across the backdrop of the  _Tashire Nebulae._

Maybe they’d even weave between the  _Eleven Planets Of Aiska._

The possibilities for such a huge event were endless.

He’d discovered a small unsourced article hidden away in a textbook about it at thirteen. Unable to let it go, Light had brought it up over dinner once. He’d just meant to mention it briefly, see what his family thought about it, but the words had toppled out with the momentum of a rocket taking off. The outcome was stiff silence, tense glances exchanged between parents, and an excited little sister listening to every word with wide eyes.

His father, chief of the DNC (Dolna National Council), had set down his fork and said:  _“The Great Space Race doesn’t exist, Light. Even if it did exist, there are much more important things to think about. It’s an irresponsible endeavour. Your future and the future of Dolna should come first, for starters.”_

So Light never prompted the topic again, out of respect for his father’s wishes mostly. Soichiro Yagami was a well-respected man in Dolna, a model citizen and good father. The best Light could do was study hard, meet all expectations. He did, and he soon exceeded them.  _The Great Space Race_ slipped away into oblivion, a forgotten fantasy he had foolishly mentioned once.

Until now.

“Ohohoho - another disbeliever!” Ryuk rubs his hands together, jumping up and down in what Light feels is misplaced excitement. Fixing another screw, Light inspects his work quietly. “Well I oughtta tell you kid, I’ve competed in that race five times already.”

“ _Five times_?!” Light says too quickly, darting to his feet. This time, he  _does_ drop the wrench, it falls from his hands to the sandy ground. Regaining composure slowly, he folds his arms across his chest. “I’ll need some sort of proof of this, Ryuk. I can’t be expected to just believe something like that.”  _Especially coming from a Shinigami like you._

What happens next is something Light could have never anticipated. Ryuk pulls out a thin, black notebook, holding it out towards him. The huge cheshire grin on the Shinigami’s face raises Light’s guard for a moment. But curiosity overpowers and he takes the notebook, opening it to the first page.   
  
**THE BEING WHO OWNS THIS MANUAL IS ENTITLED TO REGISTER IN THE GREAT SPACE RACE.**

“What is  _this_ …?” Light breathes out, enraptured by the words. The text is printed neatly onto the page with a symbol that itches the back of his mind, it looks pretty official. He flicks through the pages, skimming over some of the chapter headers:  _How To Register, Terms Of Entry (_ Light notes the humongous disclaimer about loss of life being simply part of the process),  _Previous Race Courses,_   _Choosing Your Ship, Selecting Your Crew, Flying Solo..._

“Do you wanna know what the best part is, kid?” Ryuk taunts, disrupting his reading. “I’ve got two manuals.”

Two manuals, that means  _two valid registration_ tickets. Light’s eyes widen at the information. If everything in this manual  _is_ true, then he’s currently holding onto one of the brightest and most dazzling opportunities in the universe - a ticket to something extraordinary. Suddenly, his body feels lighter. If he jumps this time, maybe  _just maybe_ he won’t land - he’ll ascend up and up, and further up. Light looks down at the manual, reading over the opening text again.

**THE BEING WHO OWNS THIS MANUAL IS ENTITLED TO REGISTER IN THE GREAT SPACE RACE.**

The shadow cast over him by the Shinigami is rapidly getting longer. He glances up, and it’s confirmed. The third sun is setting over the horizon, darkness enveloping the landscape. In general, the suns set fast on Dolna compared to other planets he’d read about. A typical sunset here lasts half a minute. Overall, he calculates he has five hours until the whole town will be awake, and undoubtedly gather around the outerspacecraft. Crouching down to review the control panel he’s fixed, Light sets the notebook down.

His fingers are burning like the surface of the suns. His lungs feel like they’re shaking, the air is sharper somehow and more difficult to swallow. Right now, this notebook has more gravitational force that the whole of Dolan. Its energy is almost magnetic, he can’t escape the orbit. Still he does his best to ignore it, recalling his father’s words:  _It’s an_   _irresponsible endeavour._ Grabbing onto the memory tightly, he uses it to propel himself away from temptation.

Because Light’s never been irresponsible. He’s never been on an irresponsible endeavour either.

He’s dependable, reliable and an exemplary student to all of Dolna.

“I’ve done what I can for now, Ryuk,” Mounting his bike, Light fastens his helmet. “But we’ve got to get your ship covered somewhere for the meantime.” He points across towards a building a few miles ahead. “I patched up the control panel, you should be able to programme the automatic landpilot. Head it towards Yellowbox.”

With that, Light starts pedalling towards the old, abandoned warehouse. His fingers no longer burn but they’re _tingling._ So he squeezes the handlebars tighter, and looks up at the stars. It’s a clear night, the clouds have dispersed and the whole universe is waving back at him. The stars are smiling, too. This only makes the sensation worse. All those skydreams about travelling the universe and leaving  _do-nothing Dolna_ are closer to his reality than ever before.  _The Great Space Race_ is real! And-

“-Aren’t you forgetting something?” Ryuk asks, shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

Slightly irritated at the interruption to his peace, Light glances over his shoulder at the Shinigami. Picking up the notebook, Ryuk holds it out. Their eyes gleam with dark amusement Light doesn’t fully understand.

“This belongs to _you_  now.”


	2. Fixing The Ship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm away for the next week, so I really wanted to update before I left! Hope you enjoy. 
> 
> 'No Need To Come Back' by Hans Zimmer and 'Mercury: The Winged Messenger' from Holst's The Planets Op. 32 really were all I listened to whilst writing this!

Ryuk holds the notebook out. Light doesn’t fully understand the dark amusement gleaming in their eyes.

“This notebook, it belongs to _ you _ now.”

His fingers twitch as Ryuk holds it out, so Light turns his head away to distract himself. The dry, insipid landscape is hardly anything  _ inspiring _ to look at. He’s seen the same horizon his entire life, it’s engraved into the back of his skull. The same three sunrises, the same three sunsets. The same dull, dreary Dolna. Honestly, no wonder Light has always been looking  _ up _ . Starsearching the sky with untamed intrigue and wonder.

But really, Light Yagami searches for much more than just the stars. He starsearches for something gigantic, bigger than galaxies and larger than solar systems. He starsearches for something which reduces his existence to a minuscule spec of stardust whilst stretching his soul across the sky for all to see, an awesome supernova bursting into vibrant colours.

“So what’s it’s gonna be kiddo?” The Shinigami is laughing again. It’s unpleasant, like dragging fingernails over walls or a serving of cold soggy portaneas (a vegetable Light thinks is similar to the Terran’s potato, though slightly squishier and purple).

Light frowns. Logically, there has to be a catch here. Nothing in the universe is free. The universe doesn’t make exchanges this straight-forward. Ever. For example, when Soichiro Yagami took it upon himself to uphold peace and order on Dolna, he worked through to the third sunrise. For the sake of unity in the world, the universe traded disunity in a family too far past acknowledging it to know  _ how  _ to voice it. In sayu, it whispers in the stolen glances she gives Light when he helps her with homework, when she thinks he isn’t aware. In his mother, it whistles faintly in sync with a creaking door or household noise which overpowers. And in his father, it seeps from the creases on his forehead, it's the lines around his eyes which aren’t the glasses. 

Nothing in the universe comes for free. True freedom is a myth. Light is shackled to a fate he hasn’t even decided on and the Universe will do nothing to change it - especially  _ for  _ his sake.

It either reluctantly compromises or heedlessly obliterates. 

But then again, the Shinigami are from MU… Customs and perspectives vary all across the Universe. His teacher Mr. Ranim, a  _ quad ipsum ( _ often abbreviated to  _ quipsum),  _ told them that many  _ quipsum  _ continue to believe the Universe is fuelled by sacred celestial offerings. His teacher paraphrased the dogma once in class so eloquently, that Light still revisits it from time to time:  _ If you offer nothing, it will take everything. And if you offer everything, it will take only something. But if you offer only something, it will take just about anything.  _

He’s never thought to apply this to life, because he never particularly believed in it. He doesn’t really believe in much  _ that much  _ besides, rather curiously, the Universe itself. 

“You’re… giving it to me?” Light finally responds as coolly as possible as they enter the warehouse. It’s a large space, with a high-rise ceiling; Ryuk’s ruby ship is already nestled in the back corner having following a concise landpilot automation. Scraps of old machinery scatter the corners, some useful. A small chill climbs up Light’s spine. Every time he’s snuck into Yellowbox warehouse, it is officially off-limits but Light never has trouble hacking the security and wiping the surveillance, the atmosphere has felt morbid. Today, it’s different. 

It feels foreboding.

“Sure am!” Ryuk is suddenly right by Light’s side.  _ Hovering,  _ ah yes. Light almost jumps in surprise, he forgot the Shinigami could do that, even without flapping their wings. They were capable of smoothly gliding. It’s a simple but bold defiance of gravity which Light envies.

“Heh, you don’t seem like you want it though-”

“-I want it.” Light snaps back a fraction too fast, chipping away at his unconcerned facade. There’s a tumultuous force stronger than the Great Red Spot of Jupiter in his voice. Light has the sense, for just a moment, to be frightened by the sound of himself. Then he basks in the conviction, revels in how even  _ Ryuk the Shinigami  _ seems momentarily startled by the sheer intensity.

Then as quickly as the exhilarating rush hits, it’s gone. And Light dislodges the debris of questions in his sore throat, but doesn’t speak them. Instead he repeats himself, quieter.

“I want it.”  _ I need it.  _

As he reaches for it, Ryuk pulls the notebook back to his chest. 

“If you take this, you have to fix up my ship. And if you do that,” the Shinigami towers over him and outstretches their wings. “I’ll take you to the registration centre.”

The shimmer of  _ The Crimson Apple _ ’s coat of paint against the warehouse lures Light in. It’s a deal he would be foolish to pass up. He can fly, although he’s not licensed yet. Not to mention he has no ship. Clenching a fist tightly, he turns back at Ryuk - not realising he had even looked away. No Shinigami is going to manipulate him so easily, he’s intelligent enough to turn this around on its head  _ and  _ get the notebook. Folding his arms across his chest, Light raises a brow, feigning disinterest. 

“What do you gain from all of this? Shinigami aren’t exactly  _ known  _ for being selfless creatures of charity.”  _ Quite the contrary actually.  _ He plants his feet into the ground and straightens his posture to stand a tad taller.  

“A way to end my boredom, I guess.” Ryuk shrugs, grinning with the jagged row of teeth on display. 

Light gets it then. This isn’t an act of charity, or generosity, at all. This is callous curiosity, rooted in selfish indulgence for taunting another with the taste of an insatiable adventure they may never have. It’s a galactic gamble, in a game more extensive than he’s ever played. And  _ oh! _ How he wants in, to deal his own hand and strike back tenfold.

_ You want to play? Well, Ryuk, I won’t disappoint. _

“Then you should know something, Shinigami.” Light takes the notebook decisively out of their hands. Outside through the window he can see clouds forming. A storm is brewing, but nothing in comparison to the one churning inside of his blood. His hands are weighted, but the weight is welcomed. 

Flicking his eyes up from the book, Light meets those yellow eyes. The Shinigami is leaning closer but not to intimidate any more, Ryuk is hanging on to his every word with avid interest. It’s like the whole of the galaxy depends on his response. For good measure, Light drags out the silence longer, curious if he can make the Shinigami move again before their turn in the game. Ryuk follows eagerly as Light crouches next to _ The Crimson Apple _ and picks up a screwdriver. Finally, he glances over his shoulder and smiles cordially. 

“I’ve been bored too, Ryuk.”

**☾**

For the next seven months, it becomes a routine.

Light rises with the first sun, a little reluctantly after spending a majority of the night making repairs to _The Crimson Apple_ and appeasing the Shinigami by listening to their pointless stories (he had been expecting some exciting tales of _The Great Space Race,_ but Ryuk seemed to be unwilling to share). Then, Light cycles to school and arrives precisely two minutes before class starts. He never likes to be early, that involves having to talk to peers. Yamamoto was the only person he really _enjoyed_ talking to, and he left Dolna four years ago when his father got a promotion on an asteroid mining rig.

Then Light comes home and studies, eats with his mother and sister, and goes to bed. Two hours later, his father gets home, and Light waits another forty-five minutes before getting back up and going straight to the warehouse. Dark rings like those of Savestra threaten to form beneath his eyes at first. But Light promptly tells the Shinigami he needs to factor in more sleep to his schedule or this arrangement won’t work, and that’s the end of it. From then on, Light hides this new project as well as he hides _himself_ \- eclipsed by endless masks and perfectly synced phases of nuanced expressions.

The truth is, that since Ryuk appeared, Dolna is no longer that boring. Or rather, Dolna still bores him, but the significance of this dreary planet has dwindled. The star may as well be ebbing away into the final stages of its life. To Light, it has nothing more to offer him. His daily thoughts are now marred with  _ The Great Space Race _ . Marred because, he has always made a point not to let things consume him. Moderation is crucial. Yet the manual entries in the notebook are ingrained into his memory. 

He skydreams of the race until everything around him succumbs to the thrill of winning. Everything becomes a race, an opportunity to expand his narrow horizon further. He even doodles what he imagines _ his ship _ would look like. That’s a problem, because Light Yagami doesn’t  _ doodle.  _ Even when he was five years old, he much preferred other things. 

“Starlight, what’s... this?” Sachiko Yagami had asked as he presented his immaculate test scores to his mother one night. He’d entirely forgotten about the  _ doodles  _ sprawled across the back of the paper. He’d snatched it back, timing the tug of his hand enough to still maintain decorum whilst internally agitated. 

“It’s a concept sketch for an engineering assignment.” Light had said with a forced smile, heading towards the stairs at the sound of his father returning home, early for once. 

“I should probably transfer it to fresh paper now as it’s due tomorrow!” He had hastily added before disappearing into his room. 

That night, he hadn’t gone back to the warehouse. 

Instead, he stared up at the ceiling of his room, and all he could see were corners of the Universe he’d never even knew  _ existed.  _ It all seemed so refreshing, and wonderful. 

Tonight is a similar situation. The third sun is setting, and Light Yagami still hasn’t left the house to continue his nighttime endeavours. Stretching a hand up, he gently skims it through the air. The roof disintegrates away, he can see the whole skyline from his bed. It’s a beautiful sight. And if he angles his hand a little, the whole of space tilts compliantly for him. His hand is the axis. He can feel nebulae parting obediently between his fingers, stardust ducking out of sight. His eyes chase the twinkling, and they yield. He wins. Blackholes bow as he passes, planets bend to his gravity and entire solar systems are suddenly in orbit  _ around him.  _ He is the centre of it all, the eye of everything. 

The tingling grows. He wiggles his fingers and the ripples they cause echo far and wide. His presence is heard, he is the one glowing in the middle of the greatest starstorm. Fist shut. Tight squeeze and boom! Everything collapses. Worlds split, suns evapourate, stars implode. His fist shakes with the momentum it’s holding. It’s all in his hands, all of the universe. Let go. Open palm. The explosion bursts, it’s blinding, brilliant and-

\- Light pulls his hand back abruptly, holding it close to his chest. He’s gasping for air as he sits up in his bed, heart lurching faster and faster like a race because  _ everything is a race, a Great Race  _ and what better race than a great race in space. This manual has sparked something raw and hungry inside of him, and imagination will no longer satisfy the deep, constant rumbling. And again, comes the thought to jump up, up, up and away. But not only that, a growing urge to jump, land back down and stamp. Leave behind a wreckage, a noticeable mark. Jump, land back down and stamp. Jump land back down and-

“You haven’t worked on my ship in over a week, kid.” Ryuk remarks from a dark corner of his bedroom. Running a hand through his hair, Light leans back against the pillows and puts on a calm collected exterior. He’s fine. It’s fine. 

“I’ve been busy.” Light replies tactfully, not looking over at the Shinigami. Space has  _ always  _ fascinated him more than anyone else he’s known, his imagination is simply on overdrive from the manual’s detailed descriptions of so many new places. 

“Heh, you don’t look that busy to me. Unless I’m interrupting something.” Amused, the Shinigami saunters out from the shadows, standing at the edge of the bed. 

Flopping back down onto the mattress, Light risks a glance up at the ceiling. He exhales slowly the breath he’s been holding a few seconds too long. It’s still there, the ceiling is still there. 

“It’s called  _ sleeping. _ ” He forces a yawn to seem more convincing, cupping his hands behind his head. “You should try it sometime, Ryuk.” pause. “You’re looking a little grim lately.” 

Ryuk pats over his chest, limbs flailing in all sorts of strange directions at the words. Light’s used to the bizarre ways the Shinigami reacts by now. He presses his eyes shut and ignores it. 

“Hey Starlight, do you treat all your friends like this?” 

“We’re not friends.” Light corrects quickly,  _ Ryuk knows that well enough too.  _ Opening one eye lazily, he glances over at the Shinigami. “And my name’s  _ Light _ .” 

“Are you really just gonna sleep? Hyuk! How boring.”

“Sleeping is essential.” Light explains, suppressing his petulance. “ _ Like I told you _ all those months ago, if I’m to maintain my astounding grades _and_ work on fixing your ship, I need to keep my body in good physical condition.”  

“Why bother with grades when you’re going to enter the race?” 

“ _ Because  _ I am a model honors student, others lead by my example. I have expectations to uphold.” He doesn’t want to leave his family on bad terms, or hurt them intentionally.  As head of the Dolnan Counsel, Soichiro Yagami would never prohibit his son to go on such a reckless fantasy quest. Surpassing their wishes for him here and seeming like he’s thriving in an academy is the least he can do. 

It’s selfish, but entering  _ The Great Space Race _ is all he wants to do now. He’s prepared for what may happen after registering, for the day he returns -  _ if he returns  _ \- back to Dolna. 

“And in order for my parents to allow me to leave Dolna without getting suspicious, I have to get into an interplanetary academy.” 

It’ll be easy enough to achieve. He’s already had five incredible acceptance letters. He’s already written the first dozen ‘standard’ spacecards to his family about his predictable experience at the academy he will choose, which he has stored at the postoffice to send periodically every few months. That, alongside some hologram recordings he’s already programmed, ought to steer them off the truth for a long time. He hopes that once it’s clear something is wrong - which Light has calculated won’t be for at least eighteen months - his father will be the one to cry, as opposed to his mother and sister. Not for guilt or regret, but for the loss of his son he had already lost long before. Brushing the thought aside, Light opens his eyes to dispel that image from his mind. He is greeted by a more disturbing one. 

“Get out my face!” Light restrains himself from yelling the words at Ryuk, hovering inches from him. The Shinigami moves away, intense gaze locked on him. 

“What are you thinking about, Starlight? You seem pretty tense lately.” 

“I’m not tense,  _ I’m tired. _ If you’re just going to stand there all night long then stop talking.” Light rolls to his side, back facing Ryuk. “I’m going to sleep.” 

And twenty minutes later, he does sleep. 

Ryuk leaves by the window twenty-four minutes later, delighted to discover the manual was tucked away rather conspicuously under Light’s pillow. 

**☾**

“You’re sure that you have everything, Starlight?” His mother asks at the Dolnan spacestation, expression serene but eyes glazed with unspoken concerns. A few heads turn and stare at the name  _ Starlight,  _ and Light purses his lips. Picking up the suitcase, he nods. 

“Yes. If I’ve forgotten anything, you can always just send it over.” 

It’s been ten months since Ryuk fell out of the sky in his ship. Ten months of skydreaming and working hard to get him to this moment. Six weeks ago, Light had accepted his offer to Juhia’s Academy. It was the best academic institution in the whole of the galaxy. His parents were thrilled. 

Shortly after, right on schedule, Light had finished the final repairs and little tweaks he felt necessary to add on  _ The Crimson Apple.  _ Ryuk had broken into a weird dance at the unveiling of his ship, tucking his head between his arms and circling Light. He’d been too preoccupied with the final result than paying much attention to the Shinigami. The ship had looked enchanting, it’s red paint shimmered in the starlight. The satellite had been upgraded, the inside modified and virtually reinvented. 

Now, Light Yagami is standing in the middle of the Dolnan spacestation. He’s waiting for a spacetrain. The ticket in his hand says he’s going to Juhia. His family think he’s going to Juhia. But he’s not. A fabricated lie to match his fabricated reality up to this point. Once docking the spacetrain, his family would want to see him leave the station, he’s to come off at the fourth moonstop. From there, he’ll board Ryuk’s ship which is docking there, and they’ll sail through an uncharted road only a select few know to the Registration Centre for  _ The Great Space Race _ .

Once the spacetrain he’s _meant_ to be on docks in at Juhia, Light has an automatic spacecard prepared and ready to send to his family. He has meticulously planned every aspect of this trip, there is no way anything is going to go wrong. As the _quipsum_ would see it: He’s offered everything for this, every fibre of his being, so the Universe can take _ only something _ . And that something will be his academy scholarship. If he had offered nothing, the Universe could’ve taken it all. If he had offered only his academy scholarship, then the Universe could take anything it wanted. 

His thoughts are interrupted by a pair of arms wrapping around his shoulders. Sayu Yagami hugs him fiercely. Smiling, Light returns the hug and lets slip a surprised laugh.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to miss me?” He teases as they separate. “Or are you just going to miss me doing _your homework_ for you?”

“Whatever,  _ Starlight.”  _  Punching his arm playfully, Sayu pokes out her tongue. Light narrows his eyes as she draws out his name slowly on purpose. “I think  _ you’re  _ going to miss doing my homework!” 

Ruffling a hand through her hair, he catches sight of the time on the large clock behind them and sobers. 

“Well either way Sayu, you’re going to have to do your own homework from now on.” 

Her eyes aren’t as bright as usual, but Light is sure that’s simply because he’s leaving. Their mother is a few paces away, watching fondly. He waves at her, Sachiko waves back quietly. Soichiro is nowhere to be seen. He and Light said their goodbyes the night before, Light had almost shed tears when his father clasped his shoulder and said he was proud, to his own dismay. Glancing back at Sayu, Light prepares a final grin, but it fades instantly. 

“It’ll be okay, Sayu.” He says before she can speak, because he’s only ever seen  _ that  _ expression two times in his life and those events were far more serious than this. 

“Wherever you’re going, Light, be careful.” There’s a tremble in her voice he can't seem to process.

Furrowing his brow in fleeting confusion, Light nudges her gently. 

“You _ know _ where I’m going, Sayu.” Holding up his ticket, he points to the printed details. “Juhia Academy, Mum has only talked about it for the past _ four months  _ over _every single dinner_.” 

That was hardly an exaggeration, either. Sachkio Yagami had practically learnt the entire opening text of the Academy’s website, reciting the achievements of the institution frequently with pride. Light looks up to the clock, it’s racing. Time is racing by, the race is always pulsating through him, driving him forwards. He can’t stay static here. He has minutes before the train leaves, but it feels like milliseconds to go and like  _ years  _ have been wasted. 

“But you’re not going to Juhia, are you?” Snapping his head back to his younger sister, Light struggles to hide the shock at her words. She’s wiping her eyes, unable to look at him, which he takes advantage of completely. Relying on the conviction in his voice, he attempts to school his expression. 

“What are you talking about, Sayu. Don’t be ridiculous.” His heart is thudding in his chest, mind reeling.  _ Sayu knows.  _ Somehow, she’s seen right through him. Part of him wants to know how, even more so  _ why.  _ Why has she left it this long, when he’s  _ leaving  _ to even bring it up? Before he can form a suitable question which is not direct confirmation, the conductor calls for passengers to board the train. 

All around them people move, racing forwards. Light’s fingers feel twitchy, his feet shuffle against his will. Clutching the handle of the suitcase, Light turns away. 

“I’ll write to you once I’m settled in.” 

It’s not a  _ complete lie _ , he’s already written the letter. Sayu tugs him back by his sleeve. 

“I’m not stupid,” she hisses into his ear. “At least tell me you’re coming back.” 

No  _when_ is added to that, he notes. But he can’t tell her he's coming back, because he doesn’t know what’s going to happen. He doesn’t know for sure if he is coming back, or if he ever can. Despite everything the manual has told him, _ The Great Space Race _ is still a huge enigma. Anything could happen. For the first time in his life, he’s throwing himself headfirst completely out of any conventional orbit. Light can plan as much as he wants but at this stage, until he enters the race and is piloting his very own ship, he is not fully in control. The Universe is still accepting whatever he offers and taking whatever it wants. 

He thinks of his teacher Mr. Ranim for a brief moment, then. The blue quipsum had praised him on the results day, even more for selecting his home planet Juhia. 

“ _ Light. _ ” Sayu prompts sharply, biting back a small cry for the sake of their mother. 

Pulling himself from her grip, Light bows his head politely in her direction. Perhaps it’s a little cowardly, refusing to meet her eyes for a final time. But the race is pushing on, and on and on. He has to keep up. Without realising, things are blurred with anticipation and restlessness, he’s already walking to the train. 

“Be good, Sayu,” he pauses to say absently over his shoulder. 

Then, he boards the train without looking back.


	3. The Fourth Moon Of Aeran

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a LONG chapter. I'm sorry, but I've mapped out where we're going each time and all of this needs to happen here! I did have to cut one scene but I can add it onto the next one without ruining the pacing too much.

When he reaches the fourth moonstop, a moon on the outskirts of the quaint planet Aeran, Light _almost_ wavers in his resolve. He’s here, there’s no room for hesitation. Land on the moon, find the Shinigami, board _The Crimson Apple,_ and then register for The Great Space Race. Thousands of burning stars have come and gone in the seconds he needlessly wastes, fizzling out of existence, and they did so brilliantly without faltering. All whilst _he’s_ standing in the shadows, Sayu Yagami eclipsing everything he’s planned. Her face paints over the starline above. There’s a twinge of sadness spread over her eyes that doesn’t belong.

It’s _not_ guilt he feels, as he presses a hand to the bridge of his nose and exhales slowly (the oxygen levels here are 2.3568% lower than standard Dolnan regulations, he’s going to feel a little dizzy). He has no reason to feel guilty. It’s his future he’s paving out with the ashes of stars across space, Sayu is going to be just fine. The eclipse ends swiftly, that strange twinge replaced by a new very welcomed tingling. A tingling which steadily mutates into a throbbing as his mind drifts to the notebook.

He steps off the spacetrain briskly, startled a little by the velocity of his landing. He almost stumbles the first few steps. The gravity is lighter here on this particular moon. Without artificial gravity, maybe he really _would_ float off into space if he jumped up, up and up. Really though, that doesn’t completely explain the buoyancy in his limbs, which merely grows once the spacetrain he’s _supposed_ to be on departs to Juhia. The taste for adventure, and things he should not acknowledge, resonates deeply.

 _Here he is!_ On the fourth moonstop, as planned. The fourth of seven moons Aeran has. Aeran is made up of roughly 90% water. It’s sparsely populated, mostly thriving simply for tourism purposes. Outerspace beings enjoy taking tours of Aeran, or so Light’s read in class. Water is not so commonly found in abundance anywhere in the Universe. Still, Light thinks it’s one of the least interesting planets in the New Milky Way. Even Dolna has more to offer in some respects.

Gazing up at the starline, he maps out the Universe shimmering above. The telescope, which took _months_ to fix, reveals the horizon. The familiarity of Oaie’s rings are no longer in sight. He can see the Rasacan Constellation and Juhia is in the distance to the right. The rest of what he spots takes him longer to name, which excites him. Because it’s unfamiliar, _new._ Dreary Dolna is still in sight behind him, though easily overlooked and quickly cast aside. Putting the telescope away, Light moves through the crowd.

A few humanoids ahead move from his pathway, flustered by the confidence in his strides. The tingling hums contentedly, and with each step he can feel the moon quivering, startled by his brazen and bold demeanour rarely seen in any being - yet alone someone from _Dolna._ Yes. He’s going to rattle the Universe and shake up the entire starway. He’s going to soak up all the wonders of all the worlds and in return show them all something truly fantastic.

Humanoids are cluttered everywhere in the busy spaceport. The fourth moon is a convenient stopping point for journeys, with small stores selling food and provisions. Although, the most diverse beings here on this moon are Juhians, with their blue skin and bright eyes. The thought sharpens his eyes as he scans the area carefully. Undoubtedly, a Shinigami would stand out. Considering they aren’t _that_ far from Dolna, he best find _The Crimson Apple_ and get going.

“Starlight?” An unexpected voice calls to his left.

Freezing, Light slips on a practiced smile capable of making even the stars swoon faster through the sky.

“Sir.”

He forces the smile wider, hoping his pearly whites will lessen the clipped way the word falls from his lips. Clasping Light’s shoulder with a blue hand, Mr. Ranim returns a warm genuine smile. But there’s a dash of curiosity. And as Light tactfully wriggles out of the grip, he finds himself hurriedly formulating an excuse that won’t catch him out in the long-run. The moon was a bad decision. Even if he _hadn’t_ run into his old teacher, if Ryuk - a _Shinigami -_ so much as appeared beside him now...

It would all be over.

“What are you doing here, aren’t you enrolling at Juhia Academy?” The quipsum asks, not noticing the building tension.

“Yes I am...” Mr. Ranim could easily pin Light’s distractedness down to fascination. He’s never been to a moon after all. Dolna had little to offer besides security and comfort. However, the reality is he needs to keep on the lookout for Ryuki and his ship.

“I didn’t pack any food.” Light gives a perfectly logical explanation. “So I stopped here. I’m planning to take the next spacetrain to Juhia.”

“Ah indeed!” Laughing, it’s a round hearty sound Light has always likened to falling through the centre of a planet completely made from gas, the teacher nods. “You’ll need something to keep you going.”

“And what are you doing here, Sir?” Light smoothly asks in return, brief annoyance fluttering between his eyelids.

It’s too early for unaccounted run-ins. He has to lose the teacher quickly. Not to mention the lack of movement; an itch that needs to be scratched. Looking around the spaceport, Light sifts through for something he recognises. Then, to this right, the red glint of _The Crimson Apple_ catches his eye. There’s a problem though. The relief dwindles instantly, because Ryuk has _company,_ and that certainly is not part of the plan. Narrowing his eyes, Light watches someone crouching by the ship and - _oh,_ they’re examining the control panel. The control panel _he_ fixed. Light clenches a fist, space trembles around it.

Ryuk spots him, scratching the back of his head. Apparently the Shinigami hadn’t planned for company either, which is hardly reassuring. Waving arms frantically, Ryuk looks down at the stranger picking apart Light’s hard work.

“Starlight?” Mr. Ranim probes gently.

Jolting his attention back to his teacher, Light’s mind reels. The plan is crashing, anyone else may have yelled mayday by this point. Not Light. He digs out a crater with his hands. Fingers clawing at the problems, crushing them as they fall into his palms. Patting the crater, he tilts his head towards his teacher. Offering a sheepish coaxing smile, Light tugs him to the edge. Tied in with a quick glance up to the entranceway of the spaceport, and Mr. Ranim is bound to fall into his trap.

“A little _star_ struck I see.” The teacher observes. “It’s no mind. I was saying, I’m also going to Juhia.”

Light’s peering over the top of the crater, jaw clenched. The silent invitation is clear as day. But Mr. Ranim of _all_ creatures in the Universe is not going to be the one to thwart this. He hasn’t come this far, which actually _isn’t that far at all yet_ , to lose.

“Well, have a good break.” Pause. For emphasis, he continues. “ _Sir._ ”

The quipsum’s face falls and a frown sinks deep into his skin, almost as deep as the crater Light really should’ve just _pushed_ him into without reservations. If light weren’t on a tight schedule, where nothing is going how he thought, or deliberately exploiting the situation, he’d feel a little abashed for his actions.

“Right yes, you’re right Starlight.” Light suppresses a victorious grin, biting down on his lip whilst the teacher shuffles awkwardly. “You’re not my student anymore, and you certainly don’t need my chaperoning.”

Politely, Mr. Ranim tilts his hat towards Light.

“Have a safe journey.” _At least tell me you’re coming back._ “And be good, Starlight.”

 _Be good, Sayu._ Exhilaration wilts, Light turns sombre and bids goodbye to the teacher.

 _The Crimson Apple_ is at a deceptive distance, further than it looks. As people flock through the dock, Light paves his path and sticks to it. He’s surrounded by creatures, all of whom are dull and boring. Just like do-nothing, dry Dolna. Going nowhere, _doing nothing._ He’s sure a majority have never been past Juhia. Neither has he, but not by choice. The irritation morphs into disgust, a bitter taste on his tongue. Many pass, and the tingling _snarls._ Flitting around their comfortable corner of the Universe, never daring to venture more than necessary. _Comfortable -_ deprived of discovery. The Dolnans, the Juhians too, they imprison themselves to a single star system. He pushes through the crowd with a bit more force, the ship and _freedom_ finally closer.

Now he’s a few metres away, Light can asses _what on_ _the fourth moon_ he’s walking into. A humanoid with messy black curls is sticking their face - quite literally - into _his_ control panel, scrutinising it as if it were a test and they were the guest judge. The annoying thing is, Light wonders if he passed the expectations.

Beside the stranger, a feline robot is hovering on all fours. Made from a dark silver metal, presumably steel, it nudges the stranger at random intervals. With moulded triangle ears where sensors are fitted, and an LED screen with aqua circles for eyes which are crinkled in what Light assumes is joy. He doesn’t know. He’s never met a robot with an actual personality before, or any kind of sentient programing. It’s then he realises the robot has moved its focus to _him._

It speeds over, shrieking in a series of pitches Light can’t decipher. He never learnt robot either, Dolnans felt it wasn’t needed in the syllabus. But the more important thing is that all subtlety has now been lost. _E_ _veryone_ is staring at him.

“There you are, Starlight.” Ryuk says, seemingly in no rush whatsoever to _get moving_ and _out of here_ which is what they need to be doing.

Light thinks he sees the shoulders of the stranger _shake,_  probably at his name. Even more unbelievable, the stranger has the audacity to continue their work on the _already perfectly adequate modifications_ , not sparing a small glance over.

“Who’s this.” Folding his arms over his chest, Light petulantly pushes the robot from his side. The slower sounds emitted from the robot, gesturing sadness probably, capture the stranger’s attention. Finally, they turn.

The stranger is a mesh of sharp, jagged shapes strewn together rather curiously. Light’s unsure if even nebulae-watching could produce such an angular, striking face. An oval, with sunken exaggerated craters for cheekbones. Dark circles for eyes as consuming as blackholes, with meteor marks streaking beneath. Skin paler than the Artaara Desert on Dolna. Pointed triangular ears which aren’t _quite_ hidden by the mop of hair, matching the slender pointed nose.

“Hello Starlight,” the stranger greets in a silky baritone, _amusement_ smeared unashamedly in every syllable. Wiping his hands on the cloth, the stranger holds it out courteously. “I’m Ryuzaki.”

Light looks down at the hand Ryuzaki offers, then back up at the whimsical guy. And Light doesn’t quite understand why everything suddenly feels like a challenge. Meeting the intense gaze, Light takes the hand and ensures to give a tight squeeze. Ryuzaki retracts his hand, yelping loudly and entirely unnecessarily. The robot spews out a cluster of chromatic notes, eyes replaced by thin lines. A few people even look over at the needless drama.

“It’s alright, Igor.” Ryuzaki pats the robots head, and it seems to relax.

“Igor....” Light is momentarily side-tracked by the fact the robot has actually been _named._

“160R.” Ryuzaki points to the model number printed across the body before turning back to the control panel.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Light enquires with impatience. They don’t have _time_ for this - or need! - and people are _still staring._

“The ship was smoking when it landed here, I believe the Shinigami fried the gears.” At the words, Light shoots Ryuk a scowl. This kind of simple mistake coming from the Shinigami who has allegedly raced _five times_?!

“I _told you_ to take the gearshifts easy!” Light can’t help by snap whilst questions _race_ in his mind. Did the smoke alert anyone? How much was it smoking? Has Ryuk said anything they shouldn’t have to the stranger?

“Heh. Sorry Starlight.” Ryuk has the decency to look a little embarrassed, at least.

“ _Light._ ”

“Heh. Sorry Light.” the Shinigami recoils slightly.

“Your help is appreciated,” unwanted and totally uncalled for. “But I assure you Ryuzaki, I can take it from here.” Pause. Light offers a _courteous_ smile. “I did fix this ship up myself, you know.”

“I’m almost done.” Ryuzaki responds, unaffected by both his statement and onslaught of charm. “You did quite a good job on this, though.”

Light feels his _blood_ simmer to the heat of all three suns of Dolna combined.

“ _Quite.”_ He bites out, challenging the stranger.

“Please don’t take offence, quite is not a slight.” Ryuzaki glances over his shoulder. “I have worked with L for many years, and he’s _quite_ brilliant. The only person to have ever flown through the Paravishka Asteroid belt, you know.”

He sounds boastful. Not in the way a student would speak with admiration for their teacher. This kind of talk was reserved for _quite_ egocentric individuals, the sort who believed they were the brightest star in the galaxy and outshone the rest. Light knows this because quite often, he is that star - not even intentionally most times. He’s just always shone brighter, exuberated _more_ . Light almost laughs at the ridiculous situation when he notices Ryuzaki is _waiting_ for him to comment.

“Impressive.” Is all Light is willing to say, making note to sound as unimpressed as possible.

Although - it _is_ actually impressive, the Paravishka Asteroid belt is apparently a three-day intensive journey. The asteroids are constantly moving. An endless chasm of rocks, which have taken many lives of those who are careless enough to attempt the voyage. In the Paravishka asteroid belt, the rocks hurtle round at speeds faster than imaginable. It’s enough to make him feel dizzy, in orbit of his own thoughts.

“That was before L mysteriously disappeared without a trace…” Ryuzaki continues with an insincere look of woe. Tilting his head, Light finds himself in disbelief at the sheer transparency and absurdity of _Ryuzaki._ “Regardless of the context, such a job has enabled me to become extremely skilled at making amendments to any space vehicle inadequate for flight.”

 _Inadequate for flight._ Once again, the guy is insulting him and it’s definitely deliberate - and daring.

“I don’t know who L is, or was.” Light stifles a smirk, choosing to play up the boredom rotting away his insides. “I’ve never heard of him, can’t be _that_ brilliant.” _Not even quite_.

Light leans down and snatches the wrench to repair a wire he’s _certain_ Ryuzaki had purposefully crossed. Ryuzaki slips a thumb into his mouth, staring awestruck as Light works. Once again, that ridiculous melodramatic facade is on full display. Really, it’s not even _half_ as impressive as Ryuzaki is making it out to be. Shutting his eyes, Light collects himself and stands.

“We best get going now, Ryuk.” he prompts the Shinigami, keen to get away from Dolna and everyone else here. Ryuzaki is practically sucking his thumb at this point, drooling a little as he opens his mouth to speak.

“Where are you going?”

“That’s none of your concern.” Light sighs, turning straight back to Ryuk and refusing to give Ryuzaki any more of his _very precious not-to-be-wasted-again_ time. “ _I’ll_ drive.”

Ryuk shrugs and climbs on board to the passenger seat. Light goes to hop aboard himself, but is stopped by the sensation of metal rubbing against his legs. It’s extremely uncomfortable and rough. Looking down, Light frowns.

“Igor likes you.” The thumb is still stuck in his mouth. “That’s interesting.”

The gravity of the fourth moon feels stronger. Everything is heavier, clogged up with nonsense and Light is losing patience rapidly. They’ve been held up too long here. All it would take is for Mr. Ranim, who is _still here somewhere,_ to spot him or another untimely meeting to occur for everything to be compromised.

“Well, it was nice to meet you Starlight.” Light knows a lie when he hears one, even if it’s carefully parcelled. Nodding back in response, because it _wasn’t nice_ and he’s not going to lie for such a tiny disruption to his plan, he hoists himself into the ship.

Ryuzaki finally pulls his thumb from his mouth, only to offer that hand out to Light. Plastering on a smile, Light bows his hand and ignores the hand. He decides to use the Dolnan parting symbol instead; index finger curled and the others closed around the thumb. To his delight, it seems to rile the guy. Ryuzaki all but glowers at the social custom, hunching his back over even more than previously. With that, he beckons the robot 160R to follow him. The pair of them ebb away, drawn into the current of the crowd. Light doesn’t bother sparing another glance their way as he straps into the driver’s seat.

Studying the controls in front of him, Light focuses on the _important_ task at hand. He’s a very competent pilot. He’s flown all sorts of Dolnan aircraft at home. But he _is_ unlicensed for intergalactic travel, and he’s never flown into deep space either. Yet alone undocked from a busy spaceport before.

“Hey Starlight.” _I’m going to be participating in the Space Race! If I can’t do this I may as well just quit._ “Light.”

Grabbing the gearstick, Light pushes it up experimentally. It works. “Light, Light, Light.” _I can do this - no. I will do this._

“Hey, Light.” Increasing their speed gradually, Light checks the blindspots and ascends away from the moon. “Light. Light-”

“- _Yes,_ Ryuk.” he speaks as if addressing a child, not masking his frustration. The Shinigami is too caught up in whatever they have to say to notice.

“That guy, _Ryuzaki._ ” Ryuk cackles and prods Light with a long nail. “That isn’t his real name.”

Light holds back a laugh at the words. The Shinigami sounds gloating, as if they actually believe they’ve beaten Light at something and have some kind of hold over him. It’s thrilling to be one step ahead. He feels Ryuk’s gaze on him, waiting for a reaction. Expression blank, Light rotates the ship and begins cruising along the starway.

“I know.”

Ryuk almost fall out the seat, flailing in that ridiculous way they do when surprised or stunned. Light’s lips twitch a little when the Shinigami slumps in disappointment, resting its face in huge hands.

“You’re no fun.” They sulk, munching on an apple. Between crunches, Ryuk huffs. “How’d you figure it out anyway?”

“It was obvious, really.” Light thinks back to the stranger. They may as well have had a neon plasma sign over their head with FAKE scribbled across it. Everything about him was a careless cocktail of contradictions. He tells Ryuk that before continuing. “All his eccentricities seemed dull and predictable. Like he was doing it for a reaction.”

The more he considers it, the more unsettled Light becomes. Those blackholes for eyes could swallow him up, squeezing his secrets out and squashing his endeavours down. He shakes the thought away, picking up the speed a little to overtake a particularly slow ship ahead.

“You don’t want to know?” Ryuk leers over him slightly.

“Know _what?_ ” Light is not in the mood for guessing games. He’s tired, hungry, and just wants to make it to the GSR docklands without any more needless interruptions.

“His real name.” Pause. “I can tell you, but it’ll be at a price.”

The Shinigami dangles the answers in front of his face tauntingly. They’re clearly expecting Light to jump at the offer. Offering the Universe something, or everything, is bad enough. But a _Shinigami?_ It screams trouble and even danger. Light isn’t afraid, but he’s not stupid enough to gamble on something he doesn’t need to for the sake of a double bluff. Light almost laughs again, because this Shinigami really is a fool. He already _knows_ \- he’s got it all figured out. But it could be interesting to lead Ryuk into a false sense of security for a while, only to snatch it away later. Ryuk will probably be more compliant for now if they believe they have an upper hand.

“Not really.” He shrugs nonchalantly. “It’s not like I’ll be seeing him again anyway.”

Ryuk finds this hilarious, eyes gleaming brightly. Light finds that’s all the confirmation he needs, not that he doubted his theory for a second. Lips pursed tight, he steers them towards the Coran Nebulae quietly. The fourth moon of Aeran gets smaller behind them, as does Juhia and Dolna.

**☾**

A woman lands her ship on Dolnan’s sandy plains, shortly after the second sunrise. It’s clean and precise, in comparison to _The Crimson Apple._ She studies her surroundings cautiously, climbing out of the ship. Her nose wrinkles at the sight, and the smell for that matter. It’s not exactly unpleasant, it’s… stale. Dull. Static. For all she can see, there’s sand and a few scattered buildings. There’s barely anything here. Although, as she had read in a book once, the trees really _do_ grow backwards on Dolna.

She heads towards the small collections of buildings on the horizon. Forona is certainly far more beautiful, she thinks of her home planet wistfully. And for the first time, she finds herself wishing she was there instead. Minus judgemental parents and a terrible ex-boyfriend, mind. That aside, Forona is covered in lush forests. Every ounce of it is green and thriving with all kinds of life.  

But _here.._.

She frowns, shielding her face with a hand from the harsh bite of the abrupt wind and glaring sunlight. Here, she’s already itching to move, more aware of the unsatisfying stillness. It’s as if she’s expected to meander leisurely through a mirage. The planet does little to assist her in movement, clutching at her feet each time they fall. The gravity is heavier than Forona, but there’s a heavyweight stronger than this dragging her down. And to think it’s only been a few minutes, ten at best.

The woman reaches the town, greeted by a few wary looks. Someone even goes into the trouble of closing their blinds. She looks down at her uniform. The golden badge strapped proudly to her chest and the gun on her belt make it clear exactly _what_ she is. She boils the distrust down to Dolnans being unused to visitors from outerspace, and strides forwards to continue her mission. She’s used to being treated with reproach by colleagues and by the public. It hasn’t stopped her before, it won’t stop her this time either.

She stops at a dozen houses. Some refuse to even open the door at all. Others barely do and shoot menacing glares at her until she leaves. So she leaves. Nobody lets her further than the doorway, which would be _fine_ if she weren’t dehydrated. But asking any of these folk for _anything_ , even _information_ on a case seems impossible. She’ll have to muddle through, quench her thirst. Swallowing, she knocks on the fifteenth door, drumming her fingers against her thighs as she waits. As the door unlocks and opens, the woman straightens and begins her usual rehearsed speech.

“Good…” gazing up at the sun setting behind the house, she estimates several hours must have passed since her landing. Dolnan time differs to hers, so she guesses. Her voice is croaky and dry as she continues. “Afternoon. My name is Naomi Misora of the ICA. I’m here on a case of a missing spacecraft and am required to ask a series of routine questions in the area.”

“Oh, you must be tired.” Smiling, the lady by the door opens it wider. “Do come in for something to drink, and I will answer anything you have to ask.”

Bewildered by the acceptance, Naomi steps inside.

“Thank you.” She breathes, unable to keep the surprise off her face. In contrast to other Dolnans, the woman was far more receptive. Perhaps she was familiar with the ICA, or simply less intimidated.

“People get nervous when an Officer appears.” The lady explains to her.

Nodding, Naomi takes out her notepad and sits on the seat she’s ushered into. Her eyes close for a moment. The soft fabric is a welcomed kind of different to the hard leather of her ship. She’s been walking in the heat for hours, her legs ache now she’s finally still.

“And you were out in the midsun.” Shaking her head, the lady sits down opposite Naomi. Regaining herself Naomi sits up, not allowing any weakness to slip over her fatigued self.

“I’m fine, really.” She says assertively.

A few moments later, a young teenage girl bounds into the room with a tray of refreshments.

“I’ve never seen an ICA officer before,” the girl exclaims, clasping her hands together in excitement. “Well - besides Dad!” Pause. “So what’s it like? Do you travel the Universe? Do you-”

“-Sayu!” The lady urges her daughter to sit down. “Don’t bother the nice Officer now.”

“It’s okay.” Naomi politely says, relieved by the mother’s insistence. Dealing with kids, especially the inquisitive ones, has never been her forte. One sip of the cold drink has her body sinking further into the seat contentedly.

“Thank you for this, Mrs…” Naomi ventures off, realising she never got a name.

“Yagami. Though please dear, call me Sachiko.” Sachiko smiles. The pieces slot together instantly in Naomi’s mind. _Soichiro Yagami, chief of Dolnan Police Force and Council, member of the ICA. Of course, this must be his wife._ “So what is it you’d like to ask?”

Pulling out a hologram viewer (holoviewer), Naomi clicks it on to reveal a series of photographs.

“I’m looking for this ship, _The Crimson Apple._ It was stolen approximately nineteen months ago, and my sources have last placed it here.”

“Stolen?” The daughter, Sayu, asks. Her eyes are clouded with worry. Naomi almost mistakes it for general concern, the common naivety seen in that of a sheltered child. But then, the girl’s eyes betray her. They flicker to the family photo on the wall, then back down to her hands. Setting the cup on the table, Naomi softens her voice in an attempt to seem more approachable.

“That’s right.” Glancing back to Sachiko, she continues. “Have either of you seen it?”

Sayu pointedly looks anywhere but Naomi, whilst her mother shakes her head.

“It’s unusual for any foreign vehicle to come here.”

“I thought so too.” Naomi realises how rude that may sound, and quickly carries on. “Dolna is far from the centre of the New Milky Way, I mean.”

“Are you sure the ship came here?”

“Yes. The sensor blacked out some time ago, but it’s latest co-ordinates were here.”

“I haven’t seen anything, dear.” Sachiko smiles apologetically at Naomi. ”I’m sorry we are unable to help, and you came all this way too.”

As Naomi predicts, the daughter stiffens. She casts her eyes back down, twiddling her thumbs. Naomi sighs resignedly, partly because she’s genuinely exhausted and partly because she’s desperate for the daughter to talk.

“I guess I’ll have to try elsewhere-”

Squeezing her eyes shut, Sayu balls her fists together and bursts under the building pressure of guilt and inability to lie much longer.

“-I’ve seen it!” Sachiko gasps, looking over. “I’ve seen that ship!”

There’s more to it than this, Naomi is sure. But for now, that information will have to do. The girl is young, and clearly protecting someone. The father, perhaps. No. Naomi frowns. Soichiro Yagami is an honourable and respected man. He would never work with a fugitive in such a way.

“Are you _sure,_ Sayu?” The mother sounds uncertain.

“The Shinigami Ryuk kept it at yellowbox warehouse until they were ready to leave.” Sayu explains reluctantly, holding her head in her hands. She looks like she feels guilty. Not for withholding information, but for sharing it. But Naomi overlooks that upon hearing the name: Ryuk. She flicks the holoviewer urgently to another photo.

“This wouldn’t happen to be the Shinigami you saw, would it?”

A Shinigami with yellow eyes, a sharp serrated smile and greyed skin stretched over their face. Sayu spots the words printed beside their photo and winces.

“Yes, yes that’s them.”

Naomi’s eyes narrow.

“T-they’re not _dangerous_ are they?” The daughter stammers, a fearful look in her eyes.

“I don’t know.” Naomi honestly replies, biting down the stereotype on her tongue about Shinigami. Officers should be objective, in any situation.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Sayu?” Sachiko gently rubs her daughter’s back as the girl attempts to still her trembling hands. Naomi watches closely, knowing well enough the signs of someone covering another. Yet again, it’s prominent. She looks over to the family photo on the wall, spotting the brother. They sit in a silence: Mother and daughter sat close, Naomi finishing her drink and slotting the puzzle pieces together. _Sayu Yagami knows more, and it has something to do with her brother._

A few minutes later, Sayu agrees to show Naomi to yellowbox. She leaves the room to get ready. Naomi seizes the chance, glancing back over to the family photograph.

“Sachiko, you have a son too?” She treads carefully, assisting in taking the tray of refreshments back out to the kitchen.

“Oh yes. He is the top of his class.” Sachiko is beaming with pride as she speaks, it fills her skin with a soft glow. “Or was, rather. He’s now finished school and is enrolling at the Juhia Academy.” _He must be pretty smart, then._

Before Naomi can ask more, Sayu is back at the door. The journey to yellowbox is full of awkward silences and evasive responses to anything Naomi asks. By the time they reach the warehouse, Naomi decides to opt for a more stern method. Whilst surveying the area, she speaks boldly.

“Whatever you are hiding from me, it’s imperative that you share it.” Pause. “Withholding case information is an offence.”  

“I-I’m not hiding anything?” Sayu squeaks, conviction sloppy.

“Whatever you tell me will be in confidence, I can guarantee-”

_Beep beep!_

Naomi’s phone buzzes in her pocket. Sayu seems elated for the interruption, creeping away to the other side of the warehouse whilst the opportunity is there. Reaching for the phone, Naomi is foolish enough for a second to expect L. But it can’t be him. Nobody’s heard from L for the past four years.

“Naomi.”

Rolling her eyes at the voice, Naomi forces herself to at least be civil.

“Beyond.”

Evidently, she fails. Beyond laughs from the other side.

“Oh boy, I haven’t heard _that tone_ for a while _._ ” He coos. “Lighten up, Massacre. You weren’t _too far_ off this time.”

Moving to pace back and forth agitatedly outside of yellowbox, so she can raise her voice without making a scene in front of Sayu, Naomi glares.

“How am I supposed to sound?! You lured my ship into the path of a _supernova_ !” Pause. She shudders at the memory. “I almost _died_.”

“But you didn’t.” He chirps quickly and she can hear the smirk on his stupid face. “No hard feelings about that, I hope.” Naomi snorts, rubbing her forehead which is now throbbing. It's been a long day. “Had I not come up with something you _would’ve_ caught me and intergalactic prison isn’t the place for little old me.” He puts on a comical, silly voice. “I’d scare all the inmates to death.”

Naomi doesn’t doubt for a second that he is capable of actually scaring somebody to death.

“You should take some of the credit though, Massacre.” Beyond continues, not really caring she isn’t contributing to the conversation. “Your piloting was _terrible_ for the entire chase.”

It’s the closest they’ll ever get to a ‘ _so_ _what’s going on’,_ which is as close as they’ll ever get to an ‘ _are you okay?’_ But they’re not close at all. Naomi Misora would never let herself be close to him. He’s not just a fugitive, but a criminal. A serial space killer. The chase in question was three months ago, shortly after Misora Massacre was suspended from the ICA. Naturally, she cast the blame on him. He was partly to blame for the mess.

“Why are you calling me, Birthday.” She spits out tensely. Her heart feels as if it’s in her head, the pulsating sensation strong in the back of her skull.

“Business business business as usual…” He almost sounds disappointed. Naomi can’t fathom how he expects anything else considering everything. “I heard on the starshoot you’re looking for _The Crimson Apple-_ ”

“-Already found it.” She lies. Beyond doesn’t need to know the details, but help from a murderer is not something she’ll accept. Ignoring her interjection, most likely calling the bluff, he keeps talking.

“The Shinigami piloting it is called Ryuk.”

“Let me guess,” Naomi says flatly. “You know them, they’re part of the secret killer club you go to every Thursday.”

“Actually, no.” Beyond is equally as blunt. “It’s on a Wednesday.”

“ _I am two seconds away from hanging up.”_ She warns.

“I’ve seen the Shinigami, Ryuk.” he supplies, sounding annoyed Naomi forced his hand earlier than he planned.

Naomi bites her tongue to stop the desperate questions tumbling out. She can’t give Beyond the satisfaction of being useful, and she’s more than capable of figuring this out herself. In fact, she tells him exactly that - he laughs again. It’s not a kind laugh, nor is it mocking.

“I just thought you might want a lead.” Pause. “And it’s boring without you and my favourite letter hunting me down, so you better hurry up and catch this Shinigami.”

Sighing, Naomi clasps the phone tighter to her ear, not wanting to miss a single word. The humiliation is already spreading, and she’d hate to ask him to _repeat_ himself.

“Go on, then.”

“The Shinigami, Ryuk, is travelling with someone called Starlight.” Beyond stops to snicker at the unfortunate name.

“I already _know_ that.” She didn’t know that for sure, but she suspected as much. Starlight is a rare name, it has to be Yagami. Soichiro Yagami’s son. She frowns. Was he kidnapped? Is it a ransom? Is Sayu being blackmailed into silence?

“Well aren’t you the smartest, Massacre.” Beyond actually _is_ mocking her this time.

“I take it that’s not _all_ you were going to say.” Naomi manages to keep her voice even, flinching at the nickname. Since her suspension, it’s stung.

“They were on the fourth moon of Aeran.”

Looking up at the sky, Naomi fishes out her keys hastily. The fourth moon of Aeran, that’s just a few hours away. Not far at all. Beckoning her ship with landpilot, she listens intently. His next words completely floor her.

“I saw him there too…”

Breath hitching, Naomi gets into the ship. She finds herself _hopeful_ and has to reign it back in forcefully. No. That’s impossible.

“Very funny.” She snaps, not bothering to indulge him or his sick games.

“You think I’d joke about this?” His voice shifts into something a little horrifying, a mesh of dark and chilling things she can’t pinpoint or begin to understand.

“I’ve got work to do.” She’s uncomfortable with the change, starting the engine up. Naomi doesn’t have time for this. Nothing Beyond says can be trusted. Yet _here she is,_ following _his_ lead. And god, she really hates it.

“Don’t get too comfortable. I’ll be putting you behind bars soon.”

That seems to pull Beyond from his jarring reverie.

“Don’t insult me.” His voice resonates through her ship as she soars up into the Dolnan atmosphere. “I’m never comfortable.”

**☾**

Flying a spaceship _in space_ is every bit as magical as Light ever could have spacedreamed. More, even. They glide through an endless sea of stars, bursting through Coran nebulae and ducking under bouts of surrounding starmist. Now they’ve cleared the main starways and are headed on the uncharted routes, it’s even better. As far as Light can see, there’s absolutely no signs of life anywhere. Space here is empty and it’s all his to navigate.

 _The Crimson Apple_ is far from the most amazing ship in the Universe, but it’s enough for now. Light slows their pace a little, drowning out Ryuk’s pointless stories for the sake of indulging in the view. Dolna’s long gone, and it’s liberating. They’re in a completely different part of the New Milky Way now. The perilous Lanua asteroid belt can be seen in the distance, smaller than Paravishka but arguably just as deadly. It’s off-limits to fly, at least nobody is reckless enough to try. Though it is the quickest exit from the galaxy, stretching across most of the horizon. Instead, a small exit from the New Milky Way has been created through the far corner of it.

To his left Juhia is a spec, and the uninhabitable gas giant Juno, parallel to Jupiter of the Terran’s Milky Way, dominates the view. Its marbled texture of gold, caramel and a curious streak of purple which has continued to baffle scientists, is so close.

To their right, a school of stellafish are swimming past. Varying in size, the biggest spanning the length of his arm and the smallest the size of his head, the fish gleam against the starlight. They’re a mix of vibrant coloured scales, mostly red, green and yellow. Seamlessly, they make their way through space. It’s hypnotic watching their long streamline tails swishing behind them like metronomes. A newborn chases after its tail, the mother nudging it back on track when it gets too close to the ship.

Just like the baby stellafish, Light throws caution out the window and lets the thrill for adventure take over. He propels the ship into a sudden spin through the Coran nebulae.

“Woah kid, slow down!” Ryuk protests, holding on to the side of the door.

Light lets a gentle laugh bubbling under his skin surface as they dive between the glorious nebulae. He feels weightless and limitless like the fish outside the window. He pulls them up high, under. Above. Higher and higher! Below. Left. Sharp right. Back down. Spin. Spin again. The stellafish flock into two groups at the sudden movements. He follows one group close enough until they split into a wonderful spectacle of wiggling colours, like a broken rainbow in space.

A flock of spacesparrows soar across the top of the ship, barely missing them. Ryuk flinches as Light ducks rapidly out of their path, gazing out at the spectacle. The stellafish scatter more whilst the spacesparrows weave around them. Effortlessly dancing in the spaces between, Light steers them lazily to make shapes in the nebulae.

The gravity is sparse here, Juno doesn’t quite win over despite its size. If he turns the engine off now, they’d float aimlessly away and away, with nothing to stop them. Who knows where they’d float to. For once, Light really _is_ in control. Where he goes, the ship will follow because _he_ is the strong force. He is the gravity.

Light flips the ship again in a big wide circle through a looping nebula. It obeys. He traces the outlines, picking up speed to increase the thrill. He thinks of writing his name in the smoke trail, but it will fade in minutes. And his mark isn’t going to be so fleeting or jovial. It’ll be accompanied by things bigger than anything around them. And one day, he’ll be bigger than anything here too. A burning sun which can both guide and lead astray. Blind and scorch then be warm and radiant. Benevolent and revered. But the sun isn’t big enough. Not even close.

Lifting his foot off the pedal, Light shifts gear to accommodate the change of pace. The Shinigami beside him slumps in relief.

“Heh, you’re not a bad driver Light but I’m sure glad that’s over and done with.” Ryuk admits, reaching for another apple to crunch. Humming absently in response, Light scans the area. Soon they’ll be leaving the galaxy. The thought is exciting, and also a little terrifying if he’s being honest. Mr. Ranim has likely landed in Juhia now. It’s coming up to late afternoon on Dolna; his mother is probably cooking and Sayu is sat waiting for his letter which he _really_ ought to send in the next few hours to keep things on track.

“Starquake.” Ryuk points to their right, disrupting his thoughts.

There’s a fluctuation of flashing lights in the distance. But the blue pulses are inconsistent with a starquake, from what Light has observed, and it appears to be moving. Grabbing his telescope, Light hones in on the object. His eyes widen in realisation, pressing down the accelerator pedal.

“That’s no starquake, Ryuk.” shifting the gear his heart races as the blaring sirens come into earshot. Considering they’re not far from the main starway, they’re in a bit of pinch. The ship approaching is going at a fast pace, possibly even having travelled at lightspeed. _The Crimson Apple_ quite simply cannot compete yet alone travel so fast. Within seconds, the flashing blue lights of the Police spacecraft are on their tail.

“THIS IS NAOMI MISORA OF THE ICA.” the tannoy projects a female voice laced with determination. “SHINIGAMI, YOU ARE UNDER ARREST.”

“I should’ve known,” Light rolls his eyes. “Shinigami bring _nothing but misfortune_.” An old, now proving to be true, Dolnan proverb.  

“STARLIGHT YAGAMI, PLEASE PULL OVER.”

Light’s eyes widen in surprise, the lapse of focus slows them a fraction. Suddenly, the police spacecraft is flying alongside them. He glances over briefly at the woman. There’s a fierce expression on her face, black hair draping past her shoulders. They meet eyes, and the collision is powerful enough for stars explode around them. Light breaks the gaze, clutching the controls tighter. _Damn it -_ she knows his name _how does she know my name_ and _oh god_ they have to lose her fast or it’s really all over.

He slams on the breaks sharply just as she attempts to ram ruthlessly into their side. Ryuk topples over clumsily, apple falling from their hands. Quickly, Light regains speed and ducks beneath the Officer, changing direction. Ryuk catches the apple, throwing the whole thing into their mouth. She knows _his name_ which means she’s been to Dolna which means _does his father know_ -

“STARLIGHT, I AM AUTHORISED TO FIRE AT WILL IF YOU DO NOT RESPOND TO MY REQUEST.”

Light plunges the ship through a large starmist ahead to throw off the Officer. For a few seconds it seems to have worked. But then it’s no good. The blue lights follow them through the mist and she’s seconds behind, blasters at the ready. The woman means business, that’s for sure.

“YOU HAVE UNTIL THE COUNT OF THREE, STARLIGHT. I WILL OPEN FIRE. REPEAT: _I WILL OPEN FIRE.”_

Gritting his teeth, Light drives faster. No way is he going back now, he’s only just started. He hasn’t even _registered_ for the race! A boiling rage rushes through him. Who does this woman think she is?

“THREE.”

They can’t _just_ lose her now, she knows too much about him, she may track them to the dock or inform his father if she hasn't already. He has to somehow ensure she’s out of the picture -  _completely._ Light looks around the controls a little frantically, already knowing there are no blasters but hoping for the miraculous appearance of one anyway.

“TWO.”

 _I’m going to have to work with what we’ve got._ Which was… virtually nothing.

“ONE. OPENING FIRE!”

The ship behind them launches the blasters, laser bullets hurtling towards _The Crimson Apple._ Wham! Dodging the first set, Light pushes the shield up to maximum and scans their surroundings. He spots the solution and pushes the ship to its fastest speed. _I can get us there, just a little further._ Wham! Sudden dive. Right. Watch out for the left!

“Hold on tight, Shinigami!” Light yells, swinging the ship narrowly out of range as the Officer fires another round. It may be a measly pod, but _The Crimson Apple_ is agile, he can use that to their advantage. One of the bullets scrapes the shield, knocking their balance slightly.

Once Ryuk realises where Light is headed, they shake their head.

“Heh, that’s not a route I would take Light-”

“-Buckle up Ryuk, this is going to get a little bumpy!”

That’s all the warning Ryuk gets before Light ploughs full speed right into the Lanua asteroid belt, Officer Naomi Misora close behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh-oh nothing is going to plan.... 
> 
> Let me know what you think so far, thanks for reading! Super excited to update next time - it's space chase time!


	4. High Speed Chase

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it's later than expected, been a tough week. but hope you enjoy!!

Three Shinigami walk into a bar on the corner of MU. And whilst many Shinigami are prone to telling formulaic jokes, this is in fact the honest truth. The bar is smoky, dingy and dark, much like the whole of the Galaxy. Typical MU, really.

Situated approximately 4,000 light-years from the New Milky Way, MU is a derelict, rotting section of the Universe few care for. Up until the last few centuries, nobody even knew who _or what_ lived there. Whilst most of MU is a colossal wasteland, the Shinigami tend to dwell in the small collection of habitable fragments of deserted moons and rock called Ianis.

Inside the bar, a Shingami with four large eyes, and two pairs of thin crooked glasses tinkles away in the corner on the piano. Cloaked in vibrant crimson robes, their navy skin is taught over their skeleton. The song they play is dissonant. A gravelly voice resonates over the top, thickening the texture.

One of the three covers their ears gruffly, slashing their scythe irritably in the musician’s direction. Their face is covered in a slimey mask, scraggy bandages wrapped round the majority of their body. Sliding into the booth on the opposite side of the room, they scratch the mass of spiky black hair protruding above the mask.

“Can’t believe they’re still hiring ol’ Unedo to play here.” They grumble. “It’s been two hundred years!”

“You had a chance, Deridovely,” the second Shinigami with green-olive skin, scoffs. Their thin lips are stretched back, displaying thick fleshy gums which support jagged teeth. Readjusting their colourful feathered headdress, they scrape their hook across the table towards Deridovely. “But surprise surprise - you gambled it away.”  

Deridovely shrugs, seemingly having nothing clever to say in response. Not that Deridovely is particularly intelligent, anyway.

“Speaking of _gambling_ , Zellogi.” the third and final Shinigami perks up. With yellow eyes, two large horns and a cattle skull masking their face, they contrast greatly to Deridovely and Zellogi. Throwing a pack of cards across the gothic-style table carved from bone, they spread them out. The fur on their shoulders ruffles as the bar door swings open again. “I’m not losing this time!”

“You lose _every time_ , Gook.” Zellogi remarks, already entertained at the prospect of watching them get beaten again.

“That’s only because Ryuk’s not here.” Gook counters, setting the dice in the centre.

“Ryuk ain’t coming back for a long while, ya know.” Deridovely goes first, rolling the dice across the dusty table with bandaged, slim hands. They take a card, and toss it face-up into the middle. “Not until the race is done.”

“Yeah, yeah Deriv. We _all know_ the drill,” Zellogi smirks, it’s angular and all teeth. “Ryuk dupes some creature into entering The Great Space Race, gets a free pass to the end and offs them once they cross the finish line.” pause. “Must be the seventh time now, right?”

“I heard he picked up some human kid called Starlight from Dolna.” Gook rolls lazily, not bothering to scoop up his pile of cards.  

Zellogi isn’t sure what’s funnier: the species, the name or the location _Dolna_ . Ryuk’s never picked a _human_ before. After a moment of deliberation, the name wins.

“ _Starlight_ .” They laugh. It’s a spine-crunching sound, almost like they are gargling bones. “These humans have the most ridiculous names, and yet they call _us_ deranged...”

“Wait a sec now...Yagami,” Deridovely holds up a thin finger after successfully rolling a twelve. “ain’t that kid the son of _Soichiro Yagami_?”

“Yeah. So.” Gook asks, muttering curses dejectedly once rolling a four. Gambling has never been Gook’s forte. But the Shinigami has little interest in pursuing other things, yet alone leaving the Galaxy of MU. So gambling it is.

“ _So._ ” Deridovely hoists their bony knees up to sit cross-legged. “He’s part of the ICA ain’t he?”

“Oh yeah. That’s right.”

“This is too good.” Zellogi taps his hook on the table rapidly, raising a chalice up in the air as if to make a toast. “Ryuk, Ryuk, Ryuk!” the music stops, as does conversation. All the Shinigami in the bar listen intently.

“Once a Shinigami, now the uncute _pet_ of some _Dolnan kid_!”

As Zellogi takes a swig of the dark liquid, the establishment full of Shinigami break into shrill laughs. Unedo leaves the piano to join the three responsible for disrupting the casual atmosphere of the bar. Perching beside Gook, they fiddle with their wiry long white hair before speaking.

“May as well tell you guys if you didn’t hear,” Unedo’s voice is deep and raspy. “Morax left MU this morning, to go to Dolna.”

Deridovely rolls again, the dice whacking the pianist in the knuckle vehemently. It lands on an eleven, inevitable victory. Not that they really care all that much. It’s just a way to pass the time.

“Why does everyone want to go to _Dolna?”_ Gook sighs whilst revealing their hand of cards in frustration, already knowing they’ve no chance of winning.

“Ain’t you ever listen to anything or are ya really just a walking talking loser?” Deridovely thumps the back of Gook’s skullmask, almost knocking them from their seat. “I told ya last month ya bamboodler. Ryuk took _The Crimson Apple_ . _”_

 _“_ Oh ho! That was Morax’s ship. Morax really isn’t happy about it, been trying to track it down.” Zellogi adds eagerly, always the first to be informed with Ryuk’s outerspace business. Partly due to being nosy, and also wanting to poke fun at the Shinigami who never knows when to call it quits. Always up to something to alleviate boredom.

“It’s been almost eleven months since Ryuk left,” Gook scratches the skull on their head absently. “Geesh, Morax has got to let things go.”

“If it were your ship, wouldn’t you be mad too?” Unedo offers, not taking the hint to leave them all be as Deridovely flicks the dice at them once more.

“No,” Gook says, rearranging the cards for another round despite having recently lost. “cos I don’t have a ship. I don’t need one. Not going anywhere am I?”

“ _If_ you had a ship, _if_!” Deridovely reaches for their scythe, clearly agitated.

“But I don’t have a ship, Deri.”

“ _If!”_

Zellogi watches the pair in delight at the prospect of a fight. It’s Unedo, of all Shinigami, who relieves the tension by plodding back to the piano and starting a popular Shinigami tune. Lowering the scythe, Deridovely takes more of their drink instead.

“Ryuk’s sure in big trouble this time, sounds like there’s more at stake this year than just the Race.” Zellogi admits, excited from the thought of all the potential chaos about to unravel across the Universe. “I wonder what’s going to happen.”

“I don’t know.” Deridovely’s fingers twitch, glancing over at the scythe. Instead, they pick up the dice and roll again. “But I _do_ know I can play this song a thousand times better than that ol’ Unedo.”

**☾**

Nothing about the Lanua asteroid belt is calm. Or leisurely-paced.

And within the first few seconds, Light regrets steering _The Crimson Apple_ into it. The ship is far from being robust enough to withstand asteroid damage. He’s sure, now. Sure that flying into one of the most hazardous areas in space is one of the worst decisions of his life. Yes, he’s one of the best pilots in Dolna. But he _is_ still unlicensed and extremely inexperienced.

The most dangerous thing about flying around _dreary Dolna_ was losing concentration due to sheer monotony and boredom. This flight is a completely different story. It’s dangerous. Daring.

It’s all sharp jagged turns and an overload of information he struggles to process in time. They barely make it through the first five seconds without pelting headfirst into rocks _ten times_ the size of their ship. Light’s never even _seen_ asteroids so big up close!

He hates that his hands are shaking, but dear god they are trembling like the epicentre of a colossal starquake. His vision blurs in the corners no matter how quickly he blinks. And his heart speeds miles ahead only to slam back into his chest forcefully. _I can do this, I can do this. I have to do this. I-_

Gasping for air, unable to qutie catch his breath, Light whizzes them past an oncoming asteroid to their left. As he reaches for the accelerator his foot overshoots and slips. _Come on, Light._ They chug gracelessly for a second. Steady, now, _steady._ He tries again, and they pick up the pace.

The Officer behind them steers quickly to dodge the obstacle, continuing forwards.

“STOP YOUR SHIP AND SURRENDER!” she orders over the tannoy.

“What did you _do?!”_ Light shrieks frantically at Ryuk, eyes darting around them to avoid driving into the asteroids soaring past. He spots a pathway which will no doubt shift in a matter of seconds in this moving maze of rock. Regardless, he heads for it.

“Heh, it’s a long story.” Ryuk scratches their head, not looking as fazed as they should be considering the situation. “Let’s just say this ship isn’t technically mine.”

“Of course it isn’t.” _And I suppose the notebook you gave me isn't yours either._

Naomi reopens fire, laser bullets chasing after them. Seconds away from hitting. _Too close it’s all too close._ Light ducks beneath an asteroid ahead, narrowly avoiding the blast. The rock splinters into tiny pieces as a result.

“Nice one, Starlight.” Ryuk grins.

Releasing the breath he’s holding, Light nods weakly. Right now he feels unconfident - _incompetent_ even. There’s a throbbing tension bundled up inside the base of his skull.  And the sensation of being _unsure_ of himself, of his own abilities, is dizzying. Can he actually get them through this? Even the best of pilots have been known to crash here. Many succumb to the sheer forces of the Universe when taking it on so boldly.

Glancing in his mirror, Light spots the chunks of broken rock rapidly approaching. They’re coming fast too, propelled with the momentum of the previous hit. _Damn it all._

He steers them a fraction too wide to the right. They’re out of the path of the rocks, but inches from another asteroid. Pressing the break messily, Light slows them enough to avoid impact. Barely. The asteroid casts a shadow over them, engulfing their entire view as it passes. It would be an incredible sight to marvel upon, if they weren’t in the middle of a chase. Or surrounded by high chances of death. Light can’t allow himself be distracted, or overwhelmed by the sheer scale of what they’ve _foolishly so so foolishly_  dived into.

Only he is. For the first time since he left Dolna, Light feels miniscule. His existence is but a tiny wandering spec in the vast realm of space. He’s insignificant. Inconsequential.

“LAST CHANCE, STARLIGHT!” the Officer’s voice rings out over the tannoy, sirens blaring.

He’s done for.

If he's being honest, Light cares very little about the fate of the Shinigami. But the consequences of his own actions spin around him. Defying a Police Officer’s orders. Helping a fugitive. That’s just the _start_ of all the potential problems this woman is bringing to his meticulous plan. The plan  _which is crumbling apart._

When Light jerks the ship abruptly to the left, the Shinigami topples clumsily over the controls.  

“I thought I told you to buckle up!” Light yells in frustration, nudging the gearstick desperately. Ryuk has managed to jam it.

“Great, now look at what you’ve done.” he hisses irritably, mostly to himself than to the Shinigami.

“Oh, sorry Starlight.” Ryuk crawls into the passenger seat, finally putting the seatbelt on. Somehow, Light doubts the Shinigami is sorry at all, yet alone observant enough to realise the huge issue they’ve created _which could’ve been completely avoided._

Surveying the path ahead, Light spots the huge asteroid in their way. _Oh_ the Universe is really out to get them today. There’s no way he can dodge it without shifting down a gear. Overall, he’s approached this whole thing way too fast. Stealth may be their ally in outrunning the Officer, but _not_ when they’re surrounded by thousands of very dangerous asteroids.

All around them is rock, rocks which are _constantly moving._ One wrong turn, one wrong calculation and it's over. Especially in this ridiculous pod.

But if he stops completely to avoid the collision, the Officer will catch them. The Universe has them trapped.  _There's no way out of this one._ No tricks, no clever turnarounds. Checkmate.

“I can’t go back!!” Light exclaims suddenly in desperation, voice raw and full of things he can’t believe he’s letting himself expose _now of all times_. And that’s it. Something inside bursts, a galactic dam of insecurity and frenzied panic. He has no control. He can’t claw it back either, it’s too late.

Light clutches the controls tighter, the sweat on his hands loosening his grip.

They are seconds from impact.

The gearstick is still jammed.

“I can’t go to Juhia Academy. I _can’t._ ” he hisses, unaware his voice is cracking. “I _can’t_ go home!”  

“Uh, Starlight. We’re gonna crash.” Ryuk points ahead of them with a crooked finger at the asteroid getting ever closer and closer and evermore closer.

_The gearstick is still jammed._

“-GIVE IT UP _NOW_!”

Light tugs at the gearstick. Nothing. Slamming on the breaks is futile, they’ll simply crash into the Officer’s ship or lose enough speed to be caught up another crash path.

“Hey Light, now might be a good time to get us moving.”

_Closer._

“I’m _trying._ ” he snaps, tugging again with more insistence. The gearstick remains lodged in its spot.

“-LAST CHANCE, YAGAMI.”

Impact is seconds away.

“-Light, _Light-”_

A rush of that  _thing_ he’s tried to suppress crawls up his spine, sinking its teeth into every nodule. His fingers twitch around the controls. He can get them out of this. This is not a measly ship he’s piloting, it’s the future of the whole Universe, _his_ Universe. Eyes darkening, Light glowers at the gearstick. Whole stars smoulder in his eyes. This ship is _not_ going to be the death of him or his ambitions. No way. If the Universe wants to challenge him, he'll push back. He’s going to move worlds and that’s just the start of it. Grabbing the gearstick, he squeezes it with enough force to collapse entire solar systems. It bows under the pressure to his will obediently.

Impact avoided. Just. A small surge of relief washes through him.

“That was a close one, Light.” Ryuk admits, releasing their grip on the seat once the ship has stabilised.

Doubts cast aside, Light stamps on the accelerator. Despite their increase in speed, and far more fluent driving on Light’s part, the Officer is persistent. She glides fluidly after them. _That woman is one irritatingly good pilot,_ he thinks to himself, gritting his teeth. Sharp veer downwards. Naomi Misora mimics him, and it’s then he realises. Oh, of course. She’s been predicting his flightpath, using _The Crimson Apple_ as a navigator through the asteroids _and_ as a shield or her own ship.

_That’s pretty clever. But now I know your tactics, I can use them against you._

“Let’s see how she handles _this_ , Ryuk.” Decisively, Light plunges them forwards, smoothly weaving between asteroids with more speed. He makes sure to randomise the ship’s movements some more. Immediately, the Officer backs off, unable to keep up with the rapid, sporadic zigzag _The Crimson Apple_ makes.

By the time Light glances back, the pathway he took is completely gone. As is she.

“Huh, where did she go?” The Shinigami leaps out their seat, face pressed up against the glass.

“ _Sit down_ , Ryuk.”

With asteroids left right and centre, differentiating between objects is a strain on the eyes. Plus _The Crimson Apple_ has very little gadgets, the modifications Light added were mainly for speed, not tracking. Now they’re deep in the asteroid belt, the size of the space rocks are getting bigger and bigger. These larger asteroids are almost still in comparison to the strong current they've endured.

Narrowing his eyes, Light scans the area with urgency. _At this speed, it’s easy enough to hide somewhere._ But the disadvantage to doing that is that the blind-spots are now more consistent. In his peripheral vision he catches movement to the right. Suddenly, a fresh round of laser bullets fire towards them. Only, there’s an unpleasant sound that accompanies this time, and a small trail of smoke behind each one.

All the signs of a ship running out of ammunition.

Light tucks them behind a large asteroid for protection. Unexpectedly, it shatters into sharp fragments.

“Gah!!” Ryuk weaves his arms over his head in a way that should not be possible.

Light swerves out the way. Just. The asteroid behind is exposed to the onslaught instead. And the hit sets it into motion. Like dominos, it pushes neighbouring asteroids into a deadly churning spiral. It’s a whole new orbit, wreaking pure unrefined mayhem on the middle of the system.

“That’s it.” Light breathes, eyes widening.

He glances down at the watch, a graduation present from his father for getting into Juhia Academy. Whilst stuck on Dolan time, _so you can feel close to home,_ it counts the universal seconds. That’s all he needs. _Forty seconds._

“I recognise that expression.” Ryuk cackles, sounding a little excited. They poke their head out through the bizarre arm-vice which looks extremely uncomfortable. “You have a plan. Right, Starlight?”  

Light nudges one of the stationary asteroids beside them with the side of the pod. It falls directly into the pathway of an oncoming asteroid. The rubble created joins the accumulating mass of asteroids gaining velocity together in a perilous spaceslide.

“Of course, I have a plan.” Light says calmly. Now the very model of decorum and poise, he gracefully steers them in the opposite direction. Then diagonally through the larger asteroids. As predicted, now he’s reverted back to an easy route, Naomi Misora follows them brazenly. She stays close, flashing her ship’s lights at them.

_Thirty seconds._

“So, what’s the plan?”

Ignoring the Shinigami, Light keeps them on track. He spots the spaceslide of rocks to his right picking up speed and matches it. He has to pace this with the utmost accuracy. Incessant interruptions from Ryuk are _not_ welcome.

“I WILL BRING THIS SHIP DOWN IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY, STARLIGHT.”

At the words, Light steers them audaciously into the pathway of her ship’s guns. The Shinigami braces themselves for impact. But nothing happens.

_Twenty seconds._

No laser bullets are fired, despite them being in clear range. Confirmation: the Officer has run out of ammunition. Light swallows the laugh erupting in his throat. _Oh!_ How the tables have turned, and he’s going to keep this situation in his control. Naomi Misora _is_ going to be eliminated, and he’s going to be the one to do it.

Her existence is but a tiny wandering spec in the vast realm of space. She’s insignificant. Inconsequential.

_Ten seconds_

_She’s_ done for. Not him.

The spaceslide is no longer parallel to them. In a series of deceptively simple movements, Light’s put both ships in its path. But not from the front. It’s now to their left, disguised by the larger mass of asteroids around them. He waits patiently. Pull back too soon and the Officer may notice. Though the fact that the Shinigami is disorientated and oblivious to the danger they’re in is a good sign. Light has mastered this corner of the Universe, and all those in it.

_Five seconds._

Abruptly, _The Crimson Apple_ turns to soar over the top of the police ship. The agile nature of the ship makes the shift seamless. It’s clearly a move the Officer didn’t expect.

“Huh?”

Or Ryuk for that matter. Naomi Misora is far too slow to turn her ship around after  _The Crimson Apple_. Smirking, Light glances down at his watch. Exactly as planned.

“Goodbye, Naomi Misora.”

_Zero._

The spaceslide ploughs mercilessly through its charted course.

And Naomi Misora’s ship is caught right in the middle of it. The skeleton of the ship has been crushed. Its bones are broken, the debris of its body messily scattered around the asteroids.

Total annihilation.

**☾**

The walk back from Yellowbox Warehouse is nothing short of terrible. The heat of the third sun burns. The air is dry, and Sayu Yagami can’t quite catch her breath. The Officer, Naomi Misora, had quickly boarded her ship after taking a rather heated call, darting off into outerspace after the Shinigami Ryuk.

Whilst relieved to no longer be questioned by the Officer, Sayu soon realised she had just lost the chance _to question_ someone who might know more about her brother’s mysterious plans. Light was headed for Juhia, but really he was going _god knows_ where. The unknown scares her. Especially now her brother is in orbit around it.

There’s tension building all through her body as she trudges through the sand lethargically. Her stomach is in tight knots. _He could be anywhere._ If she’d _known_ the Shinigami was dangerous, a potential criminal, she would’ve confronted her brother about his visits to Yellowbox. And she would’ve definitely told their parents. Sayu likes to give everyone a chance, even Shinigami. Now she chides herself for being so naive.

Sighing, she opens the front door and steps inside. A crunching sound catches her attention. Looking down, Sayu lifts a foot.

 _I’ll write to you once I’m settled in_ is what her brother said at the station before boarding a spacetrain. Picking up the envelope, she opens it to reveal a spacegram. Light is smiling reservedly on the front, stood in front of an academic building with _Juhia Academy_ carved on the front. Frustrated he’s somehow manipulated the photograph so convincingly, and that he had the nerve to even do that, she flips it over. He’s written a few words, which she reads quietly whilst walking to her room.

 _Mum, Dad, Sayu._ _  
_ _Just wanted to tell you I’ve arrived at Juhia. I’m settling okay into the academy. There was a bit of a mix-up with accommodation, but I guess that’s to be expected when 4,000 people come to register on the same weekend. My roommate is friendly, he’s interested in similar things.  
_ _Tomorrow I can enrol in my classes._ _  
_ _I’ll write again in a few weeks_  
Light.

_Ps- do your homework, Sayu._

Rolling her eyes at the final comment, she throws the card on her desk. Her brother is skilled at many things, a ridiculous number of things actually. Discretion and lying, apparently included. It makes her wonder if he’s ever lied about something important before, because if she didn’t know about Ryuk then she _really would believe every word_. Flopping onto her bed, Sayu looks over at the spacegram glumly.

Compared to Light, Sayu figures she doesn’t know that much. He’s the genius, the perfect child. Their parents have never treated her second best, nor does she feel it. But there’s an infectious sense of admiration everyone has for Starlight Yagami. She can’t blame them, she admires him a lot too.

If things were different, and he was where he _said_ he was, she’d recite his letter over dinner to their proud parents, and pin it onto the wall. Now, she wants to crumple it into a ball and throw it as hard as she can at his head when he’s home. Imagining the look on his face, she tries to laugh. Only she can’t force one out. There’s a heavy ache in her throat.

_At least tell me you’re coming back._

Tucking her knees up to her chest, she clenches a fist. Starlight never said he was coming back. ... _Was_ he coming back? And _where did he even go_?

Dinner is quiet that night. Almost as if the dining room has floated into the Danfontia Laguna, a small collection of nebula the colour of sapphires, where the stars dare not even whisper and the whole Universe is hushed into rare stillness. Even if that _were_ the case, Sayu doubts she’d be relaxed. Without Light around, the whole house may have drifted down starstream from Dolna. It was that quiet. Not that Light ever was a _huge_ talker.

Sayu huffs into her glass, because it’s hard to explain and Light could probably explain it easily. The only word that comes to mind when she starts to try is empty, which makes _her_ feel empty _._

So she stops.

Prodding the fried portaneas on her plate, Sayu listens to her mother relay the events of the day to her father.  As Sachiko Yagami details Naomi Misora’s visit, Sayu keeps her eyes on her food. Unlike Light, she isn’t so skilled at discretion, or lying. For him, she’ll try and keep his secrets secret. But if her parents so much as raise an eyebrow in her direction, her resolve is bound to collapse. She crumbled spectacularly in front of the Officer. How embarrassing.

Somehow, she sails through the dinner like it’s the Corona Nebula. The night is another story. When she shuts her eyes after the setting of the third sun, she’s restless. Once a peaceful sleeper now tossing and turning. Her dreams are haunted by the Shinigami Ryuk, marred with chaos. The Shinigami is like an ominous shadow, skulking in the corner. Never quite fully showing itself. It’s unsettling.

Then Light appears and the colours soften. _At least tell me you’re coming back._ He taps her head playfully with a smile. _Be good, Sayu._ T hen he’s in danger, then he’s dying and then he _never comes back._  Be good Sayu. _At least tell me you're coming back._ He’s never coming back-

-Sayu jolts awake. Leaping out of bed, she rushes to her brother’s room. He’s not there, of course he isn’t. He’s… _somewhere else_ . Sayu sits in his bed, tugging the covers over herself. Finally, the tension snaps like elastic stretched too far. She lets herself cry, and once she does she can’t stop. She cries because the universe is _huge_ and he’s out there all alone. She cries because he _wanted_ it that way. She cries because the letters will keep coming.

But the letters aren’t real. She’ll never know what’s real about him again.

Her tears subside at the sound of voices downstairs. More than two. Glancing at the clock on Light’s wall, she frowns. It’s late, _very late._ Her parents are usually preparing for sleep now. Having a _guest_ at this hour is unheard of. Wiping her eyes, she eavesdrops from the bedroom door curiously.

“Please lower your voice, there must be some kind of misunderstanding.” Sachiko affirms with surprising force.

Sneaking downstairs, Sayu hides behind the cupboard in the hallway. An unfamiliar voice responds. Their accent is strange, with more emphasis on the starts of words. Not from Dolna, then.

“My sources are accurate.” something about the voice isn’t human, as if another dimension has been forcefully wedged between the syllables. “And they tell me that a Starlight Yagami has been helping Ryuk get away with my ship!”  

Eyes wide, Sayu bites her lips. _The Crimson Apple -_ the stolen ship Officer Naomi Misora was looking for. This must be the ship’s owner.

“Starlight would never help a criminal.” Soichiro responds sternly, refusing to accept the words.

 _But it’s true! He didn’t know - I’m sure he didn’t. I don’t know why he helped Ryuk._ That's what S ayu wants to say. But she’s sure it will just make things worse. Whilst her mother knows _Sayu_ saw Ryuk, Sachiko Yagami doesn’t know the whole truth. Carefully, Sayu had omitted the parts where Light came into the equation. Maybe she should just own up now? The stranger’s angry interjection prevents her from doing so.

“I _know_ Ryuk came here, so where are you hiding those pesky bamboodlers? I want my blasted ship back!”

Poking her head round the corner, Sayu gasps. Crimson eyes, silver scaly skin, jagged teeth. It’s another Shinigami! Ryuk stole _The Crimson Apple_ from another Shinigami, and now the Shinigami has come to get it back. After a moment trying to process it, Sayu looks again.

This Shinigami’s features remind her of a grotesque, mutated shark. A large fin runs down their spine, tearing through the ragged shirt on their back. Their fingers and toes are webbed. Three gill-like slashes run down each bony cheek-  in place of a nose, she presumes. A patch of fuzzy brown hair covers their head, grown around the tip of the fin that starts a few inches from the forehead. The impression is a bit like a mohawk.  

“An Officer came by already looking for your ship, that’s all we know. If you call the ICA, they can help you.” Sachiko explains. “Our son has nothing to do with this.”

Sayu notes that unlike the Police Officer from earlier, her mother doesn’t invite the Shinigami inside. They look just as exhausted, shoulders slumping over and swaying. Maybe it’s normal for them... Sayu doesn’t know much about Shinigami. Though it’s no wonder her mother doesn't let them in when they’re being so rude!

“Your _son_ has everything to do with this.” The Shinigami snarls, banging a fist against the door. Sayu flinches.

“I will not tolerate one second more of these outrageous accusations about my son!” Soichiro starts. “I am a chief Officer and part of the Dolnan Council. Unless you can present me with some form of proof concerning my son’s alleged actions, you should leave.”

“Yes,” Sachiko nods for emphasis, closing the front door a little more. “Starlight is a good boy. He’s studying at Juhia Academy, and has always been at the top of his class.”

Sayu stifles a laugh despite herself at the absurdity. Even now, their mother is singing his praises.

“I don’t care how clever your son is. I’m _telling you_ lady,” The Shinigami pushes against the door. “He’s currently _on my ship_ with that no good Ryuk an-” pausing, the Shinigami’s eyes widen in realisation. “Holy snapdragon, they’re going to enter The Great Space Race.”

Sayu’s heart jumps out of rhythm at the words. _The Great Space Race._ But that’s not real, it’s just a silly story kids tell each other in the playground and never think about again... _isn’t it?_ The Shinigami raises their voice.

“Racing around space in _my_ ship?!”

“Enough of this nonsense, Shinigami.”

Sayu’s never heard her father lose his temper like this before. He sounds furious.

“Our Starlight is innocent, leave him out of this.” Sachiko sounds a little shaken, gently tugging her husband’s arm.

Gazing out the window, Sayu looks at the small ship parked outside their house. It’s nothing special. But she’s never been inside a real spaceship before. Dolnan ships are dull and plain. They're not built to leave Dolna, or go further than the next town. Intrigued, she tiptoes out the back door. The Shinigami is continuing to pointlessly argue with her parents on the issue. It’s a good distraction.

 _Even if Light did help Ryuk fix The Crimson Apple, he wouldn’t really travel with the Shinigami._ Light is brilliant, possibly one of the most intelligent people in the whole of the New Milky Way. Wherever he’s going, it wouldn’t be with Ryuk.  The subject which heated the house enough to match the temperature all three Dolnan suns _combined_ , creeps back into her mind.

The Great Space Race. Her brother mentioned it once when she was younger and _that_ had proven to be a mistake. Besides that incident, Sayu doesn’t recall much about it. Probably because she’s never been listening for it in conversations. She’s never been interested in leaving Dolna, really. The size of space scares her too much.

That’s why one tiny _very-quick_ look at the Shinigami’s temporary ship will do. And she’ll be satisfied. Then she’ll walk straight back home, tell her parents _everything_ she knows. Light will be found, _wherever_ he is. And he will come home. He’ll be angry at her for a thousand years, grounded for _two_ thousand years. He probably won’t help her with homework ever again either. But Sayu can live with that, because at least he’ll _come home._ Safe.

Slipping inside, Sayu studies the ship. It’s pretty cosy. The inside is painted a soothing lilac, not at all what she expects. She’s sure the control panel is longer than the dining room table, and _certain_ it’s full of buttons she doesn’t understand. There’s also an old-fashioned steering wheel attached to the desk, just like a terran car.

“Wow, this is so cool!” she resists the temptation to press any buttons, sitting in the driver’s seat.

The wheel is heavy in her hands and she’s too afraid to turn it. She looks outside the window, and she doesn’t see Dolna anymore. Instead, it’s infinite possibilities. An endless sea of stars stretching out forever and ever. So much space, _too much_ . It’s overwhelming. She releases the wheel immediately. But something clicks in that moment. She doesn’t _completely_ get it, but it clicks nonetheless.

Her brother is in love.

Light has fallen in love with the Universe. With the opportunities it could offer, with the adventure and thrill of discovering the unknown. Dolna was never going to be enough for someone like him. He needed more. That’s why he left. That’s why he may never come back.

“Argh! Humans.”

Freezing at the voice, Sayu jumps up from the seat. The ship’s door is flung open with a large thud. There’s barely any time to hide. Crawling under the control panel, Sayu presses as far back against the edge as she can. A few seconds later, scaly silver legs and webbed toes come into focus.

Then engine starts.

 _Oh no, oh no._ This was _not_ part of the plan. She considers revealing herself, apologising profusely for trespassing on the Shinigami's ship before running home. But she can’t bring her legs to move. The ship dives upwards abruptly. Sayu clutches the railing above her head to keep herself steady. There’s a deafening sound outside, like the ship might catch fire if it goes any slower.

_Okay, I’m going to open my eyes and I’ll be home. Everything will be fine._

Nope, not home. And they’ve definitely just broken through the atmosphere. _And_ she’s still on board a ship. With a Shinigami.

“ _Damn you,_ Ryuk!”

A _very angry_ Shinigami.

**☾**

Ryuk, uncharacteristically, says nothing in the aftermath of the chase. No ridiculous commentary, no snide jokes about the plan. Nothing.

Light barely notices, too caught up in the high of winning. The race has’t even _begun_ \- and oh how they are soaring through space victoriously! His eyes gleam with delight at the shipwreck behind them. For the first time since trouble knocked on their window, he lets himself laugh.

Spurred by the spikes of adrenaline, it builds and builds into a stream of hysterics. The Shinigami watches quietly. Swiping a hand through his hair, Light gazes out into the space ahead of him. He’s still laughing. It’s mutated into an ugly sound that wavers like a star on the brink of a collapse.

That had almost been too easy.

He wonders if that's the best the Universe has for him. In which case, he'll be disappointed. Asteroids fell into his gravity, heeding his command. Like puppets on string, they flew wherever he wanted them to go. He orchestrated the chaos, harnessing the power of the Universe and better yet - it listened to him. More than that. Squeezing his hands tightly shut, Light stares down at them in wonder. The Universe offered _him_ something when he had given nothing. It’s only a matter of time until it offers him everything.

“Didn’t think you had it in you, Starlight.” Ryuk eventually says. It’s not sorrowful, or mocking. If anything, the Shinigami seems simultaneously surprised and impressed. The voice breaks Light from his trance.

“What?” Blinking quickly, he bolts upright in his seat. That’s odd, he doesn’t remember hunching over. As the thrumming exhilaration fades from the forefront, Light focuses back on their surroundings. Swiftly, he exits the Lanua asteroid belt, pushing them back into open space. Now that crashing into asteroids is no longer a risk, he lets them drift. The engine wheezes gratefully for the small respite.

Technically, Light has done nothing wrong. Naomi Misora made the mistakes, he just manipulated the situation and exploited it. Now despite the thrill of the chase, the previous elation of  _getting rid of their biggest problem_ , Light feels something in his stomach tighten. No matter how he tries to rationalise it, he is still responsible for what happened. Looking down at his watch, he thinks of his father. And that makes it worse. He presumes he should be feeling guilty, or remorseful. It’s a silent _obligation_ , rooted in his father’s outlook on the Universe. There is only good and evil, justice hangs heavy on the shoulders of the good, destroying the evil. 

Naomi Misora wasn't evil. But she _had to go._ The chances of her passing information to his father and compromising everything he’d planned were too high. No. Light doesn’t feel guilt, not a single ounce. 

“We need to get rid of this ship before reaching the GSR docklands.” He feels compelled to speak. Say anything. Whatever he has to say in order to regather his focus and cast away the unwanted presence of his father's voice. 

“Why?” The Shinigami protests, plucking an apple from seemingly nowhere to crunch on. “I like this ship. It’s _mine._ ”

“It’s not yours, it’s stolen.” Light corrects.

Shrugging, Ryuk finishes the apple in record speed.

“Finders keepers, it’s mine now. And you did all that work on it too. So why do you want to get rid of it?’

“I don't  _want_ to get rid of it-"

"-Heh?! Then-"

"-We  _have to,_ because this ship is probably now marked by the ICA. It’s not exactly discreet either.” Light explains in exasperation, rubbing a hand over his forehead. Lord help him, Shinigami were hard work. A ship that looks like a floating apple is not exactly hard to miss or remember, what about that was difficult to understand?

“If Naomi Misora found us here, it’s likely she requested back up. We can’t risk another run-in.”

“Guess you’re right.”

They’re on the outskirts of the New Milky Way now. Dolna is far, far away. Far away with it, are Light’s bearings. He ensured to memorise the key parts of the actual race, and areas that interested him. But ship garages weren’t exactly something he had considered worth his time. Even if he had, it wouldn’t change anything. If they went anywhere ‘official’, it’s likely they could be traced by the ICA again.

“You’re a _Shinigami._ ” It sounds accusing, and it’s certainly intended that way. Ryuk doesn’t seem remotely offended. “You must know an underground place. Somewhere we can exchange this ship.” pause. He continues pointedly. “ _Discreetly.”_

“Sure do, kid. But I don’t think you’re gonna like it.”

“Just lead the way. We can’t waste anymore time.” Registration for _The Great Space Race_ opens in less than four days time. Light would rather be one of the first hundred racers or so to get there. They want to start in a good position, after all. Not early, not late. Precisely punctual. 

“Hyuk hyuk! Whatever you say, Starlight.”

“... _Light._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have a few notes! 
> 
> \- 'bamboodler' made me laugh every time I wrote it, Shinigami have the best insults. 
> 
> \- I worked super hard on the getting the pace right in the chase scene (CHASE SCENES ARE REALLY HARD OMG). I wanted to kind of have this arc through it with Light. At first he's unsure and it's all going to hell then he finds his rhythm and we soar. Hope I pulled it off okay. It was exciting to write, I hope it was equally as fun to read.
> 
> \- I have immense fondness for Deri, Gook and Zellogi. Unedo was a quick throw-in OC, but bless them and their poor piano skills. 
> 
> \- Turns out Morax (my original Shinigami) is also the name of a demon. I think that's kinda cool and fitting for their character. I worked a lot on Morax. Morax is a key character in this, so I'm looking forward to sharing more of them with you!
> 
> \- I made a mix for the story, you can listen to it here and it captures the general "vibe" of what I'm going for!! http://8tracks.com/izwhizz28/the-great-space-race-mix 
> 
> Thanks for reading, until next time!


End file.
